Not an angel
by Dark Moon Ministry
Summary: Minako competes in an idol audition but is eventually voted out, leaving her broken down and unhappy. Shortly thereafter, Ami discovers that she has a hidden talent for singing and performing. The events that follow put the two girls' friendship to a serious test. Can Minako be the supportive friend she knows she should be or will the jealousy eat her up from inside?
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N:**__ Hey, I'm back! I'm sorry it has taken so long. After a lot of work, I am finally done with my new story, and this is a rather long one with plenty of chapters. Compared to my previous Sailor Moon fanfics, you could say that this one is a little more fast-paced and dialogue-oriented, and is perhaps modeled a little more after how a normal episode of the anime could play out. Still, it has many of the deeper and more introspective elements of my other stories._

_Important: The characters in this story are closer to their manga counterparts than the anime. This is apparent especially for Rei. She does not want to become a singer like in the anime, nor has she got a phobia of singing like in the live action. I feel it is important to point this out, as singing is a central theme through this story._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or any of its characters. All song titles and lyrics are original, and any similarities to real songs are a complete coincidence._

* * *

**NOT AN ANGEL**

**by Dark Moon Ministry**

**CHAPTER 1**

Darkness surrounded him as he pressed his head against the cold floor. The only thing he heard was the sound of his own heartbeats ticking in his ears. He had lost track of how long he had been lying in this place, but he did not have time to think of himself now. He had a duty he needed to fulfill, and he knew that anytime soon, the time would come.

One more minute passed, and then he finally heard it. Far off in the distance, he heard someone grab the door handle. This was it. He pressed his body against the floor. Would it be good or bad?

He heard the door open and then forcefully slam shut. Shortly after that, he heard the banging sound of shoes being kicked off against the wall.

It was bad.

The footsteps moved inside the house. There was a slamming of another door, and the sound of running water. Then the sound of footsteps moved out to the kitchen. He heard how the doors to the refrigerator and cupboards opened and how objects were taken out from them.

It was very bad.

The footsteps grew in volume until they were right outside his room. Finally, the door opened and he felt the adrenaline rise inside his body.

The person slowly closed the door and walked across the room. He heard how all the objects from the kitchen were carefully being put on the bed. Then he heard the sound of drawers opening, and how clothes were pulled off and taken on. Then he heard how the person sat down on the bed. And not until then did he open his eyes.

He rose and quietly moved out of his hiding place, his feet making soft thumping noises on the floor. He halted for a second and peeked up at the person on the bed who sat frozen still in the same position as before. In a swift motion, he leaped up to the nightstand by the bed and reached for a cord hanging from a lamp. He took it in his mouth and pulled it as hard as he could. After a few tries, the lamp clicked, and a dim, but warm light gently spread over the room, finally adding some color and texture to the dark and cold surroundings. He sat down and breathed out, then raised his head and let his eyes rest on the person who had recently entered the room. The person before him was a blonde girl in her early teens. A girl he knew all too well.

Minako Aino, his friend, apprentice and team partner since a long time back.

Many things had been said about Minako. People always talked about her confident and outgoing personality, her wicked sense of humor, and her self-absorbed, but always warm-hearted attitude. She was known as the one who always came up with great plans, and the one who always talked herself and her friends out of trouble once the plans had backfired. And last but not least, she was known for her brilliant sense of fashion and her never ending commitment to becoming a big name in the entertainment industry.

But the girl who was now sitting here was a mere shadow of how people portrayed her. The girl sitting here was a tragic, broken down mess. Her face – usually so sweet and charming – now emitted nothing but sadness and lost hope, emphasized by the partly washed off makeup that was running down her cheeks. She was dressed in nothing more than a pair of shorts and an oversized white t-shirt, highlighting her long, slender legs and bare feet. Her back was haplessly pressed against the wall and her messy blonde hair was dropping down over her shoulders.

The items from the kitchen were placed around her on top of the bed. Candy, ice cream, sugared drinks of all sorts. Useless, unhealthy items that offered temporary comfort. Artemis watched as she took up a candy bar, ripped off the paper and took a bite of the contents inside. She then opened a bottle of juice and forcefully began chugging down its contents.

Artemis carefully jumped down on the bed. He pattered over to the girl, slowly and respectfully, as if approaching a royal deity. He rolled up into a ball next to her thigh and let out a quiet, rhythmic purring.

A few moments passed by, then the girl took him in her hands. Her grip was extremely careful, as if he was a fragile being that could easily break. She lifted him up from the bed and pulled him close to her chest, and then she began crying lightly. She stroked his fur as her tears fell down her cheeks. She still had some of the sticky chocolate left on her fingers, but he did not mind. This moment was not about him. It was about her.

Minako Aino was a girl with many identities. She was the born again princess of Venus. She was the proud warrior of love and beauty, known to people as Sailor Venus. She was the noble leader of the four scouts protecting princess Serenity.

And beneath all that, she was also a fourteen year old girl.

A fourteen year old girl with big dreams, just like all other fourteen year old girls. And fourteen year old girls sometimes had the need to fall apart. To break down and cry out the darkness inside, so that they could rise again and become stronger. He was aware that sitting here in the dim light tucked up into Minako's arms was definitely not part of his job description. In fact, he was not even sure it was appropriate for the two of them to have such a moment.

But duty was one thing and life was another. And no matter what any ancient legends said, he would always be there when she needed him. In everything.

After a while, Minako stopped crying. She let out a deep sigh and put Artemis back on the bed. She leaned back against the wall again and dried her eyes with one of her hands. He watched as she pressed another cookie into her mouth and took another sip of the juice bottle. When she had swallowed the contents down, he decided to speak up.

"So... tell me."

Minako stared out into the empty space in front of her. She took a long time before she answered.

"Third."

"Out of how many contestants?"

"Ten."

He felt a bit of relief. At least she had been put among the tops.

"That is not so bad, Minako," he said. "You should be proud of yourself."

"Of what? For being the loser once again?"

Her voice was a bit sour, but not as grimy as he had feared it would be.

"Third place out of ten contestants, Minako. That means only two other girls were considered to be better than you. That certainly does not sound like a loser to me."

"Second place _is_ the first loser. That makes me the second loser."

He was well aware that she was acting like a little child, but he did not judge her. He watched her silently as she began indulging the ice cream, aggressively lodging big chunks in her mouth with a spoon.

He decided to try another angle_._ "How were the separate events of the contest? How was your speech performance?"

"Okay, I guess..." Minako hesitated a bit, thoughtfully watching the spoon full of ice cream in her hand. "Well, I guess you could say it went quite alright. They liked it."

"I'm sure they did. You usually break all the contestants in that event. You have a natural charm, you know. You come out as honest, as opposed to the artificial, choreographed speeches the other girls often make."

"Well, yeah..." Minako mumbled. Artemis felt he could see a little life in her eyes for a brief moment, but he was not sure.

"And the dance performance then?" he continued. "Did you do your acrobatic tricks?"

"Yes. Got them down. No stumbles, no mishaps. All those volleyball classes did pay off after all." For the split of a second, a hint of a smile came over Minako's lips, then quickly disappeared again. At least it was a start.

At this point, Artemis hesitated. A quiet tension started building up around the two of them. They both knew they were approaching the most sensitive part of the conversation. Artemis really did not want to bring it up, but since he had already started the topic, there was no going back. He took a deep breath. "So I guess the only event that was not top notch was... the singing?"

Even in the dim light, he could see the tiny flinch that went through Minako's body. She shut her eyes tightly. Artemis waited anxiously. Finally, she opened her eyes and stared blankly out in the air. She licked her lips. "Yes, Artemis... It's the singing. It's the fricking singing. Like always..."

The sourness in her voice was now gone, replaced by a sadness.

"It's always the same thing," she continued. "I do fine in the energetic songs, when the melody goes in a lower key and it's more about attitude. But then when it's time for the higher melodic parts, like in the ballads where things go soft and emotional, then I just don't nail it. It just doesn't click. It comes off as forced."

Minako sighed. Her shoulders slumped down. She looked weakly at the cat. Artemis looked back at her as softly as he could.

"I have practiced for so long to be able to sing those high parts the way they are supposed to, but it doesn't work. My voice sounds strained and unnatural. They don't want that. They want girls who can sing like angels. Girls who sound like sirens in Greek mythology. Girls who can take all the high notes completely freely. Like, maybe, Celine Dion or Mariah Carey, you know."

Artemis felt devastated seeing Minako's sadness. "I think you sing very well, Minako," he said, trying to cheer her up. "Just because the judges are obsessed with angelic voices does not mean you do a bad job."

"Thanks," Minako said. A hint of a smile quickly reached her lips again. "But it doesn't matter. Girls with angel-like voices are what are in today. That's what they want. And if I can't deliver what they want, I won't go anywhere..."

Minako took another candy bar from the plate beside her. She peeled off the paper and was about to put it in her mouth, but then she suddenly threw the piece of candy in the wall. The loud bang made Artemis jump.

"Why should it be so damn hard for me to sing like that!?" Minako said angrily with a loud voice. "It's not that I don't practice. I practice like hell every week! It's just that... my voice is not like that. It's not _shaped_ like that. I don't feel comfortable singing in that way."

She ran a hand through her thick blonde hair.

"I work so hard. Every single minute that is not for school or for the Sailor scout stuff I dedicate to practicing. I want to become an idol. It's my dream, damn it! But I cannot do it. The only missing link is my voice. If I only got the voice right, I could make it." Her voice suddenly became a weak whisper. "If I _only_ could get the voice right..."

Her head fell down. Her hair fell over her shoulders and down in her lap.

"Why, Artemis...?" Minako whimpered, glaring at him from underneath her golden locks. "Why is my voice not like that? Why is my voice low and rough rather than high and angel-like?"

Artemis put his paws in her lap and looked at her with innocent eyes. "People are born with different features, Minako. Some are born with higher voices, some with lower. It's all biology, you know. You are what you are, and you should be proud of that."

He jumped down on the blanket, nodding his head. "It all depends on the construction of your throat and the larynx. People are of different size and height, and that affects the size of the neck as well. A person who is born with a long and tiny neck will get a higher register than someone with a shorter and sturdier neck. It's just like a music instrument. For example, look at the wind instruments, like a tuba or a flute. They have different constru—"

"I KNOW!" Minako roared. "You have told me that a million times already! I did not ask for a damn music class!"

_Shit... _Artemis lowered his head in shame. He did not dare looking at Minako. _Why do I never learn to hold myself back? Why do I always spoil everything by getting caught up in my own lectures? She does not need hard facts now. She needs comfort. If I only could remember that._

Artemis nervously peeked up at Minako. She looked extremely frustrated. She was staring out in space again, gritting her teeth with her hands clutched on her knees.

Artemis started to feel desperate. He could not stand seeing her like this. Out of options, he came up with one last idea of what to do. This was dangerous territory, but he had no other choice. He mustered up all the courage he had, then firmly put his front paws down on Minako's leg and looked her deep into the eyes. "Minako, you are not unsuccessful. You are doing fine, and you will soon make your dreams come true. I know that."

"Yeah, yeah, that's what you always say..." Minako said with a sarcastic smile.

"It's the truth, and I can prove it."

Minako looked at him in disbelief. Artemis nodded his head, hoping that it looked convincing enough. "Think back to when you first started going to these auditions and contests. How long ago was that?"

Minako shrugged. "Around one and a half years ago, I think. Why do you ask?"

"Think back to your first auditions. Remember how you messed up? The first times, you almost always finished last."

"That happens to everyone in the beginning!" Minako said angrily.

Artemis quickly moved on with the subject. "Exactly. Now look at yourself today. Today you finished in third place. Think back to the audition you had last time about a month ago. In what place were you there?"

"Why do you ask that? I—"

"Answer me, Minako. In what place did you finish last time?"

Minako shrugged again. "Third as well."

"Yes. And the one before that, two months ago?"

"Second..."

Minako raised her head. A more focused look slowly came over her face, as if a new thought process had started in her brain.

"See the pattern?" Artemis said. "In the span of eighteen months, you have gone all the way from being a runt to being one of the top contenders. There are three events, right? The speech, the dance and the singing?"

"Yeah..."

"In the beginning you could not do any of them very well. But you did not give up. You practiced your speech performance, you practiced your dance moves, and the voice has improved a lot too. Can't you see it all fits the pattern?"

Artemis gave her his sunniest smile and waved his tail like a happy dog to give her encouragement. "Fourteen is still a young age for being an idol. Most girls don't get approved until they are around sixteen. That's almost two years from now, Minako. With the growth you have shown in these eighteen months, imagine where you will be then. All the calculations point in that direction. It's simple math!"

Artemis sat down. The big smile was still on his face, but on the inside he was carefully watching the girl. Minako did not answer, but the ghastly look on her face slowly faded away. Her breaths became slower and more focused. A tiny, playful glow began filling her eyes.

"Heh, you are quite an optimistic little fellow, you know..." she muttered with a tiny smile.

Artemis felt big relief. It was working. They were only small signs, but Artemis was well familiar with them. He knew when Minako was returning.

Minako sat up on the bed and straightened her back. She scratched the cat's fur again, and this time it was playful, rather than the faint, depressive touch of before. She gave him a smile. A real, sunny smile. Artemis smiled back, filled with happiness that he had brought her back to life once again. She never thanked him for it, but she did not have to. The only thing he ever needed was to see that smile, and that spiteful, happy glow in her eyes.

"Yeah, okay," Minako said with a chuckle. "I guess I worry too much. My voice will probably improve in the end. It's not that bad, really..." Then she winked her eye at him. "...at least I do a better performance than you do at the roof top at night, meowing at the moon like you are a wolf or something. You really sound like someone slammed a door on your tail."

The girl laughed. Artemis looked down in the bed, distressed and highly embarrassed. "That was long ago. I don't do those things anymore..." he muttered.

"Oh reeeally?" Minako said teasingly. "What was it I heard in the middle of the night three days ago, then?"

She snapped her finger on his nose, laughing again. She then jumped off the bed swiftly like a gazelle, so suddenly that Artemis almost lost his footing from the shift in weight. Artemis groaned and rubbed his nose with his paw. "That was mean!" he whined after finally regaining his posture. "And you were not supposed to hear my singing! I thought you were not at home!"

Minako was not listening. She did a few dance steps on the floor and then flipped back her hair. It fell majestically over her shoulders like golden yarn. Artemis watched the princess as she walked up to the mirror. She turned the lights on and watched herself. Despite the awkward situation, he felt satisfied inside. He had brought her back again. Minako's happy side did have some annoying side effects. Her penchant for making fun of him at any given opportunity being one of them. But he could live with that. The important thing was that she was happy again.

"Wow, I look like I shit, do I not?" Minako laughed watching herself in the mirror. "This t-shirt stinks of sweat and dirt, and I guess I do no better."

"Well, with all that make-up only partly washed off with some cold water, you do look really fashionable... for a singer in a shock rock band, at least!" Artemis snickered. "If you don't succeed in becoming a pop star, you could always try being the new Alice Cooper!"

"Very funny!" Minako snarled back. "Remember when I painted your little mouth with my lipstick? That really made you look cute! And with your white fur and the moon on your forehead you looked like a perfect mascot for a glam rock band."

"That was not funny at all!" Artemis growled, but he was immediately cut off by a horrifying scream from Minako that almost twisted his heart around.

"M-Minako? What's wrong?" he said in shock.

Minako stood still frozen in position. Her face was white and filled with terror. She was staring hypnotically at the bed.

"Minako!" Artemis said with genuine fear, legs all tensed up and eyes wide open.

"The candy..." she whimpered, pointing at the empty packages and plates on her bed.

Artemis looked at the bed. "Huh?"

"The candy! I ate _all_ the candy! Don't you see? I ate all the cookies, all the candy bars and all the ice cream, and drank the whole bottle of juice too! I'm gonna get fat! I'm gonna gain weight!"

Artemis fell down on the bed making a load groan. That melodramatic blonde little ditz... Scaring him half to death for such a trivial thing!

He sat up again, looking helplessly at the blonde whirlwind that was now hysterically running around the room. Suddenly he felt very, very tired.

"Look at my butt!" Minako yelled and bent over with her back towards Artemis, putting her bottom almost right in his face. "They say that for women, the extra kilos usually stick to the butt first! Has my butt become bigger?"

"Minako..." Artemis sighed and dropped down on the bed again. "You don't gain weight just minutes after eating some candy. Weight gain is the result of a prolonged, unhealthy life style, and I have told you that a million times already."

The princess did not listen. She was too busy thinking of various nightmarish scenarios.

"Besides," he muttered to himself, "if you keep jittering and running around like that all night then you don't have to worry. You'll lose those extra calories and go skinny in—" He stared at the girl. "Minako, what are you doing?"

The blonde had now desperately begun doing squats.

"Must... shed... this... extra... weight..." she huffed while bending and raising her legs. "Can't... let... it... stick..."

Artemis groaned and rolled his eyes. Did she ever listen to anything he said?

He let out a yawn. "Well, if you are done with sticking your stinky butt in my face, I would like to go to bed now."

Laughing, he smoothly dodged the pillow Minako threw at him. He pattered over to his basket and tucked himself up in the blankets. He sleepily peeked at Minako one last time before closing his eyes. She was truly one of a kind. It was unbelievable that the noble leader of the Sailor guardians and that spoiled egocentric kid was one and the same person. Sometimes he wished indeed that he would have been the mentor for someone like Ami or Rei instead of her... but only sometimes. He and Minako belonged together, and he would never let her down.


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

The next day was much better. Minako was walking down the lively streets of Azabu-Juuban, feeling the wind playing gently with her hair. Autumn had been around in Tokyo for a while now, but the air was still warm enough during the day to allow for short sleeves and skirts. The leaves had since long begun shifting in color, and cascades of red and gold were growing in the green foliage around her. The fluorescent vegetation combined with the glowing sun shining down from the clear blue sky completed the portrait of a rainbow landscape.

Minako liked the autumn and all its colors. She felt it made her look even more beautiful than she usually was. The color of the leaves perfectly matched her blonde hair and red bow-tie, and the fresh air gave her skin an earthly and natural look, like a dryad of the forest. At least that was the way she liked to think about herself.

The blonde girl crossed a big road and walked through the entrance to a park. She was feeling at ease again after the misery of yesterday evening. Her heart felt light and relaxed, and she had felt enough confidence to not bother with putting on the fanciest set of clothes before going out. She had dressed up in a plain, long skirt, a simple blouse and some sunglasses. On her feet was a pair of sport shoes, much more comfortable than the high heeled torture devices she had to wear on the idol auditions.

Minako walked straight forward on the main pathway through the park. The benches and grass fields were filled with all kinds of people who wanted to cherish the beautiful and sunny day, which could very well be one of the last of the year. Minako had her nose slightly in the air, not moving her head an inch. She gave off an impression to be oblivious of what was going on around her, but behind her sunglasses, she eagerly registered the behavior of the people of in the park. _Oh yeah, I'm such a beauty queen!_ she thought to herself._ I am sure everyone here thinks "what a lady!" when they see me. Just wait one or two years until I have become an idol and they will all run up to me and ask for my autograph._ A man who looked to be in his mid-twenties was walking towards her on the path on her left side. Minako kept her head straight, but her blue eyes focused on the man's face as he approached. Behind her sunglasses, she could detect that his irises darted to the left side of his eyes, quickly scanning her face and body for a split second before passing her. Minako had to fight not to break out in a big smile. _I bet that man was SO crazy about me!_ She happily thought to herself. _He was probably thinking: "That's the most beautiful girl I've ever seen! How I wish she would be my girlfriend!"_ She let out a quiet giggle under her breath. _And then when he sees me on TV in a few years, he will remember our meeting here and will call up all his friends! _

Minako excitedly began fantasizing of how her life as an idol would be. Once she had become a celebrity, she would always wear the most fashionable clothes and jewelry. She would be escorted by beautiful men anywhere she went, and fans would always gather to try and get a glimpse of her. _All boys will be crazy and will want to do anything for me,_ she thought, bubbling inside with excitement._ I could be surrounded by men every day if I wanted to! Men who will follow my slightest wish. I could be like Queen Cleopatra with her own harem! Ahahahahaha!_

She was quickly brought back to reality when she realized she had got too lost in her own fantasies and laughed out loud with her real voice. Everyone in the park stared at the blonde, sunglass clad girl who had suddenly let out a hysterical laughter for no reason. Minako felt the red spread over her face and quickly continued on the path towards the park exit. _You idiot!_ she cursed to herself._ That's the third time this happens!_

Walking down the road, Minako finally approached the downtown area. The residential houses and green areas started to diminish and gave place to neon lights, market places and dance halls. Excitement filled her heart as she entered the district. This was her place. This was where she belonged and where she was meant to be.

As she patrolled the sidewalk, she heard a rustling sound at her side. She turned her head and saw a stray cat with white fur nervously peeking out from behind a trash can. Minako smiled to herself. He looked a bit like Artemis. He had the same nervous behavior and the same bright fur, except that he was a little grittier and had no moon on his forehead.

_Artemis... _Minako began thinking about last night's events, and her long conversation with her loyal feline comrade. She felt a bit of shame inside. Artemis had to go through a lot to help her out of these little depressions she had from time to time. No matter what she had done, he had never scolded her or given her the cold shoulder. He had always been by her side, patiently talking to her and comforting her until she had felt better. She felt bad for all she made him go through, and she was endlessly thankful that he was always there.

But when she reached the downtown centre, she quickly forgot all about Artemis. A big smile came over her face as she looked up at the sign in front of the huge building.

"KARAOKE"

_Hello, dear friend! Did you miss me?_ She thought with a smile. Today was Saturday, and it was karaoke day. Since last week, she and her four friends had been having karaoke sessions every Saturday afternoon. It helped a lot to ease their tension and strengthen the bonds between them. They were all studying heavily for the upcoming final exams of the semester, and this really accumulated some serious stress and frustration inside them all. Despite being a team and having learned how to cope with their different personalities and mindsets over time, a studying session of several hours really brought out the worst of their characters. Ami was frustrated that she constantly had to explain the problems in the books to the other girls, which she felt took a lot of time from her own studying. Usagi was frustrated by studying in itself, which was not a very good starting point when they were running three hour sessions. Rei got frustrated by Usagi's constant whining and was always quick at snapping a sharp remark at the blonde girl. Makoto, who shared a lot of Usagi's loathness for studying, got frustrated with Rei's cold attitude, and so on...

In an effort to ease the escalating conflicts, Minako had suggested that they would go and sing karaoke together every Saturday afternoon, and to her surprise and happiness, they had all approved. It was no secret that Minako loved singing, and doing it together with her best friends was even better. No matter what the girls had been through the last days – fighting monsters, studying for entrance exams, or having arguments – they all relaxed again once they were in the karaoke. Even Ami and Rei had enjoyed it, despite not having an overly big interest in singing.

The only problem had been that the karaoke session of last week – the very first one they had done – had been interrupted by a monster attack, something which had made Minako very frustrated. Some of them had not even been able to sing a single song! Minako was determined that everything should go well this time.

As Minako approached the entrance, she saw she was not the first one who had made it there. A certain girl with short, blue hair had beaten her to it. Her friend and allied soldier Ami Mizuno stood outside the karaoke parlor, looking up at the big neon sign hovering over the entrance. The blonde girl smiled to herself. With that tidy, ordinary outfit and big school bag, Ami looked misplaced in this area of neon and glamour. Ami probably still had the math problems from the last studying session spinning inside her head, and was so lost in her own world of thought that she did not realize Minako was there. Minako quietly snuck up behind the other girl. When she was right behind her, she quickly grabbed her shoulders with her hands and yelled a loud "boh!" in Ami's ear.

Ami eeped and quickly turned around. When she saw the snickering Minako, irritation came over her face and she put her hands on her hips. "Why you, Minako!" she snarled. "That was not amusing the slightest! My heart could have gone into cardiac arrest!" Then her face went red as she quickly corrected herself: "I... I mean a heart attack! I could have had a heart attack!"

Minako could not hold back a laugh. Typical Ami-jargon. Ami had very well learnt to develop a more every-day speech pattern like the one her friends used, but any time she was caught off guard and lost her cool, she always returned to her own school book lingo – probably a sort of defense mechanism. She was always embarrassed when that happened, and this made the situation even more hilarious.

"It's good to see you too!" Minako cheered and quickly gave the blue haired girl a hug, preventing any further protests. Ami made big eyes of confusion. Her blush persisted, but her frown disappeared and her face softened. "Oh, yeah... it is good to see you too, Minako," she said shyly, looking down in the ground. "It will be fun singing together again. Hopefully we will not be interrupted this time." She looked up at Minako. "I must thank you for this magnificent idea, having karaoke every weekend."

_Aaw, she's so sweet._ Minako thought to herself. _Any kind word or gesture and she's all flaring up. She's almost a little too humble for her own good._

"So how are you doing anyways?" Minako said and gave the absent minded girl a playful slap on the shoulder. "How was the test at cram school?" She knew that in order to make Ami open up, she had to give her a topic she felt comfortable with.

"Oh!" Ami lightened up, the red color disappearing from her face. "It was great! Uh, I mean, it was fine. I could make it."

"So what's your score?" Minako said with a smile and raised one of her eyebrows, even though she already knew the answer.

"Oh... I got... well, I got top score..." Ami mumbled, her cheeks turning pink again.

"I expected nothing less from a genius like you!" Minako said and put her arm around Ami's shoulders as if praising her, making Ami blush even more. "I wish I could be as good as you whenever I did a test."

"Well, scores are just numbers, really," Ami quickly responded. "What matters is the effort you put into your studies. Doing your very best is more important than any score."

_Yeah right, Ami, _Minako thought to herself, watching her close friend with a smile. _We both know that is not what you really think. You may fool the other girls, but I know how obsessed you are with getting a full score on every test, and how angry you become when missing even a single point. You're always acting soft on the outside, but on the inside you are a pedantic little brat._ She let out a sigh and closed her eyes, still smiling. _...but that's why we like you. Your intelligence has saved us more times than I can count, and we really appreciate how much you help us with our homework, despite all the time it takes away from your own studies. And last but not least, you are a very sweet person._

"...tion, Minako?"

Minako opened her eyes again. She had completely missed what the blue haired girl had said. "Sorry, I did not pay attention. What did you say again?"

"Oh, I just asked you how your idol audition was," Ami gently repeated.

Minako felt something thick in her throat for a second, but quickly swallowed it down. She recalled Artemis's words from last night, and felt the confidence return. "It went pretty well considering the fierce competition," she said as diplomatically as she could, "but I did not win, unfortunately..."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," Ami said, sadness flashing in her eyes. "In what place did you finish?"

"Third. Out of ten contestants."

"Oh, but that's great!" Ami said with a smile. "Almost at the top. Good job, Minako!"

"Thanks," Minako said and felt a little better inside. She was indeed thankful for the support Ami gave her, but she would also be happy to finish the subject and move on. She did not like lingering on past failures.

Just as she was searching her mind for a new topic of conversation, a high-pitched and cheerful voice was heard behind them: "Amiiii! Minaaaa!"

_And there you go! Problem solved_, Minako thought to herself.

The two girls turned their heads. Running down the road was none other than the blonde odango-headed girl Usagi Tsukino. Her clothes were all in the colors of bright pink and red, which looked more campy than cute, and her two big odango pony tails kept bouncing and fluttering around as she ran up to Ami and Minako. Slightly behind her came the two remaining scouts: the tall and chunky Makoto Kino and the cold and elegant Rei Hino. Makoto wore jeans and a t-shirt with a leather jacket over. Her hair was put up in her usual pony tail. Rei had a more modest, but still elegant, look, with trousers and a sweater in dark colors, complimented by a long cape. The dark clothes perfectly matched her thick, raven hair that fell over her shoulders. The black elegancy was so complete that not even the light from the neon signs could break it.

_What a gang we are!_ Minako thought, biting her tongue trying not to laugh. _Just look at how differently we dress. You can't believe we are all part of the same group!_

She had no more time for reflection, as Usagi immediately blurted out: "Let's go for karaooooke! I want to sing a lot of songs, and I want to order lots of cake and sweet drinks too!"

"...and this time you'll pay yourself for the things you order," Rei cut in. "You're not letting us pay up for you like you did last week."

"Rei, you meanie!" Usagi pouted. "I just forgot my wallet at home, that's all! It was just a one-time thingy."

"Something like that happens nearly every week," Makoto muttered, "That's quite often for a one-time incident, don't you think? And is it not convenient for you that the moment you realize you have forgotten your wallet is when we stand right in front of the cash register, ready to check out, with a long line of impatient customers behind us?"

"Alright, alright!" Minako quickly said, wanting to avoid one of those endless Usagi-rants. "Let's go in now before someone else steals our favorite karaoke box."

No one disagreed with that. Usagi immediately forgot the argument had ever existed and ran inside the karaoke parlor, with her friends trying to keep up with her.

* * *

"And that's why I loooooove you, my little darling boooooy!"

Usagi finally sang the last line of one of her favorite songs: "My little darling boy". Her friends applauded, making sure she felt proud. Usagi shone like a sun and bowed to her friends like an actor on a stage. As the music died out, Minako felt her shoulders relax and all the tension inside her fade. Usagi sure was cute when singing, and her spirit made everybody happy, but it was a clear fact that her singing was also painfully off-key. When you were at karaoke with Usagi, you had to learn how to shut off your ears, or they would be really sore. Usagi of course never noticed this, just like she never seemed to notice anything that was going on around her.

Usagi was waving the microphone in the air. "Okay, who goes next? Maybe Mako wants to...oh! This song! I completely forgot about this song! I love this one! I want to sing it!"

She held up the book of karaoke songs, eagerly pointing her finger at the song she had seen. "Can I just sing this one too? Right now? Pleeeease! Pretty please!" she pleaded with puppy-dog eyes.

"Absolutely not," Rei said firmly. "We already told you we follow a strict circular schedule. At least one new person for each new song so that everybody can participate. We are already kind enough in letting you be the starter every time."

Usagi moped a little, but accepted defeat. Minako smiled. Usagi indeed loved singing, but sharing the singing equally between them was definitely the way to go. That was the whole purpose of these sessions, to make everybody have fun together. If things were to be totally fair, they would also take turns every week in singing the very first song, but with the never-ending excitement of Usagi, even suggesting that somebody else would be the starter resulted in the odango girl throwing endless streams of "waah-waah"s and "I wanna I wanna I wanna"s, so they had passed on that rule.

"Alright then, who goes next?" Makoto said. "Rei?"

"I still need to find a good song. I would like someone else to go first, if that is alright with you," Rei said.

_That's because you're always so picky with songs and music,_ Minako thought to herself with a smile. _You do have a good voice, Rei, but you should try using it for something new instead of just singing your old traditional Japanese songs. I would love to hear you sing a sugary-sweet pop ballad sometime!_

She imagined Rei standing on stage in a skimpy outfit singing a pop number, and nearly laughed out loud. The miko could sing, but she was definitely not a pop performer, nor did she have much interest in modern music.

"Okay then," Makoto said. "How about... Ami?"

"Me?" The blue-haired girl flinched as if someone had slapped her. "Well, I..."

"Yaaay!" Usagi cheered, once again changing from rain to sunshine in a split second. "Ami should do it! I want to hear Ami sing! Ami! Ami!"

Usagi began chanting and clapping her hands like a cheerleader, making the poor blue-haired girl blush like crazy.

"I really...want to wait for a little while...if that's okay...M-Minako? Why don't you go ahead?" Ami looked at Minako, pleading with her aquamarine colored eyes.

_Oh no, you're not getting away, dear!_

"No, I want you to do it, Ami," Minako said, looking Ami directly into the eyes. "I would like to hear you sing a song."

"Yes, come on now, Ami!" Makoto said with a smile. "Sing for us! The first time we were here we got interrupted by that demon attack before you even had a chance to open your mouth. Now you have to make up for that. This time we want you to sing with full force!"

"I agree," Rei said. "I would also like to hear it."

With all exits blocked, Ami took a breath and grabbed the microphone from the table. "O-okay...I guess I'll do it then..." she said, trying to gather some strength. Her hand was shaking. She looked like she was walking to the gallows.

"Which song are you going to sing?" Usagi eagerly asked her.

"I will sing... 'Moonlight Maiden'"

_Hey! That's MY song!_

Minako felt irritation grow inside of her. Out of all the thousand songs in the catalogue, Ami had picked the exact one that Minako had wanted to sing tonight. It was one of her favorite ballads. She felt that picking that particular song was very rude, especially considering the fact that she had just passed her turn over to Ami. She should show some respect, and... Minako then closed her eyes and shook her head. _No, stop now, Minako,_ she thought. _You never told anyone about it. Ami likes this song very much and she could not know that you had planned to sing it this specific evening. Relax, princess, relax. You can sing it next time._

Minako swallowed her bitterness and felt the irritation fade away. She was not going to be childish about such trivial things. That was something she could leave to Usagi.

Ami had now put the song into the karaoke machine. The first tones of Moonlight Maiden began seeping out of the speakers. It was a quiet and beautiful ballad, one of those songs where the lead vocals were completely in focus. It was a difficult song to sing, filled with tricky melodic lines and quick emotional turns. For songs like these, the person who was singing could either make or break the whole thing.

Ami had her eyes closed and was tapping her finger in the air along with the rhythm of the song. She was trying to find the right pace and feeling.

Minako crossed one leg over the other and observed Ami. This was indeed going to be interesting.

The first verse started. Ami quietly began singing along to the first lines. She looked very nervous and had her eyes fixed on the screen to follow the rhythm and lyrics of the song. Her voice could hardly be heard through the microphone.

"Louder, Ami!" Makoto said and did a sign with her hand to make the blue haired girl sing with full power.

Ami nodded nervously and continued staring at the screen. The song now reached the first chorus, and Ami now seemed to understand how the melody was. She began singing with more confidence. She took her eyes away from the screen and started to get into the mood of the song. Her voice increased in power and emotion.

The other four girls began staring at her in surprise.

The second verse came on, and this time Ami seemed to be a lot more confident in herself. She did not have to look at the screen anymore. Now she sang for real, and for the first time, all of them could actually hear her true singing voice.

_She's actually not that bad..._ Minako thought to herself with surprise. _She has talent for singing, indeed._

It seemed that Ami was also realizing this. The longer she got in the song, the more she started to lighten up. Her eyes were filled with surprise, and slowly, they started to fill up with a childlike joy. It was as if she had discovered something new about herself, something she had not known before. It was as if she finally realized how fun singing really could be.

The second chorus came, and now Ami went into it with full power. She did not hold back anymore. She sang it with all her heart and with her eyes closed – not from shyness, but from the sheer emotion she felt from the music. She was perfectly in sync with the song, taking the notes with confidence. Her performance was not faultless. She was still a bit unused to her own voice, and a few notes here and there were a bit weak. You could easily hear the slight immaturity in her voice, and it would hardly qualify for any professional audition. But no one could claim that the water princess was a poor singer, or incapable of giving a good karaoke performance.

Her friends were now staring at the blue haired girl with big eyes and open mouths. No one of them had actually believed that Ami could sing so well in front of others. But here was this girl with the ocean blue eyes, singing with all her heart as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

Ami continued through the bridge and middle part of the song, with the same joy and vigor as before. Minako kept watching her. Various thoughts were spinning inside her head.

_She's not just average... She's actually really good. I had no idea Ami had such skills. Sure, there are a few cracks here and there in her voice, and she is not using a proper breathing technique, which makes her lose strength whenever she is holding out a tone for too long, but overall it is not a bad performance from someone who never sang before..._

She realized that she had never actually heard Ami truly singing before. She had heard the blue haired girl humming a couple of notes now and then, but not really _singing_. Minako always observed people's voice modes, due to her big interest in singing. She had since long judged and measured the qualities of Usagi, Makoto, and Rei. But she had never really been able to judge Ami's vocal mode, her register and her voice type. Until now. Now she heard it for real.

With a little sting in her heart, she realized that Ami had just the voice type she had always wished for. Ami had that soft, angel like voice that was so sought after nowadays by the idol agencies. Her voice type fit perfectly for this ballad, and everybody could easily hear that. Ami's technical skills were of course nowhere near perfection, and she would never win an audition based on her voice type alone, but now when she was singing, it gave the feeling that she was actually singing the song for real, as opposed to someone trying to sing the song.

The last chorus came, and Ami continued her vocal conquest, doing her best performance so far. Finally, she sang the last words of the song, and the ending chord slowly faded out. Ami had her eyes closed, as if she had just won a big battle. Then she slowly opened them, and suddenly she was back in reality again, as if she had woken up from a dream.

Pale in the face, she watched her friends who were clapping their hands frenetically. She put her hand to her mouth. Red started spreading all over her face. She looked as if she wanted to sink through the floor.

Usagi and Makoto were ecstatic. Even the calm Rei had a big smile on her face.

"Bravo!"

"Amazing performance, Ami!"

"I never believed you could sing so well!"

Ami waved her hands in the air as if trying to brush away all the praise she received. "Wha.. uh.. no, I... I... I just sang it, that's all..." she mumbled, her face all red.

Minako watched the other three girls. They were completely stunned. Their eyes were shining, and they were giving praise after praise to the poor embarrassed mermaid. The blonde pressed her lips together tightly. _I cannot recall that I ever received a thunderous applause like that when I sang for them..._

Then she quickly cleared her mind again. _Knock it off, Minako! You are being childish. Ami has made a great performance and she deserves all the kind words she gets. She is naturally shy and this was a great endeavor for her. She is not a singer, nor did she ever try to be, so don't feel jealous or bitter over her!_

Minako calmed down and looked at Ami again. The blue haired girl now seemed to have got a bit used to the situation. The red in her face faded away and she dared to look at her friends again. Her eyes looked very happy, and Minako could see pride shining in them. Once she saw Ami's eyes, she forgot all her bitter feelings. She had not seen Ami looking this happy in a long time. The last weeks, Ami had actually looked quite tired and stressed out, most likely from all the studying. _It must be a very big thing for her,_ she thought. _It was probably very frightening for her to do this, but she faced her fears and did all her best, and now she has overcome yet another obstacle._

The happiness and pride of her friends now filled Minako's heart too. After all, all of them had their own weaknesses and fears. For Minako herself, she never had any problem in going up on stage performing a song, but for Ami, this was a huge challenge. It was amazing to think that the girl who could walk into a classroom and score a perfect hundred on a national exam without as much as blinking her eye was so afraid of singing in front of others.

Smiling warmly, Minako took Ami's hand and held it in her own. "Good job, Ami. It was absolutely wonderful to finally hear you singing for real. And you did an amazing work too."

"Oh...th-thank you, Minako..." Ami mumbled. "I did not mean to put on a big show or anything... I just tried to sing a little."

"Shhh," Minako said and put a finger in front of Ami's mouth. "Don't be so humble! You faced your fear, and you did a great job, so you deserve all the praise you get!"

"That's right!" Usagi cut in, putting her head in between Ami's and Minako's. "Listen to Mina! She is our great pop idol and singer! She knows these things better than any of us!"

_You got that right, Usagi!_ Minako had to restrain herself not to break out in a proud smile.

"Oh, okay then..." Ami said and took a few breaths. She seemed to finally calm down. Then she chuckled. "Wow, I need to relax a bit and chase those butterflies out of my stomach. Sorry for making such a big deal of it all."

Her friends laughed. All the tension from the week's struggles now seemed far away.

"So who's next?" Usagi eagerly asked. "Can I—"

"No you cannot," Rei said, silencing her again with a direct stare. "It's me, Mako and Mina first, _then_ it is you."

Usagi went into moping mode once again.

"Would you like to sing this time, Minako?" Makoto asked. "I haven't chosen a song yet, and neither has Rei, I think."

"True. I completely forgot about it when Ami began singing," Rei said with a little smile, making the blue haired girl close her eyes again.

"Sure, I'll go ahead!" Minako said cheerfully.

"Yaaaay! Now it's Minako!" Usagi yelled out and clapped her hands.

Minako felt really great about finally getting to sing. She picked another one of her favorite songs. It was a song that was a lot more upbeat than the ballad Ami had sung. Minako felt she might as well turn things around and bring some energy to the place.

The song kicked in, and Minako sang it with all her heart. This song did not have a lot of high notes like those ballads, and she had full control over her voice. She felt like she was taming a wild tiger. Her friends cheered for her through the whole song, and it made her feel very good inside. Singing in front of people and being adored was the best thing in her life.

* * *

The karaoke was over, and the five girls stood outside the karaoke parlor. Darkness had fallen over the city and the whole downtown district was lit up by thousands of lights and neon signs. The true coldness of autumn now made its presence during the late hours when the sun was not there to chase it away. The girls were rubbing their arms and pulling their jackets and coats tightly around themselves, but their happy mood was untouched, and a warm joy burned inside their hearts.

"That was amazing!" Usagi cheered. "I loved singing with you guys!"

"It was great," Makoto agreed. "And thankfully no demon attacked us this time."

"Yes, it was nice to be able to do the whole session from start to finish," Rei said. "I feel much less stressed out now than I did before. And this is all thanks to you, Minako, for coming up with this great idea." Rei smiled at the blonde girl. "I must admit I had my doubts at first, but it was really a lot of fun."

Minako held up her hand and shook her head smiling. "No need to thank me! I'm happy that you all wanted to join. It was really—"

"Oh, and also," Usagi suddenly cut in, "We must not forget Ami's brilliant performance! I never thought you could sing so well, Ami!"

"Indeed," Rei said with a smile. "That was very good. I didn't know that you had such a talent."

Ami's face flared up again. "No really, it was no big deal. I just sang. I did not really know how to do it."

"Don't be so modest," Makoto said, patting Ami on the head forcefully. "It sure was one hell of a performance. Right, Minako?" Makoto turned her head and smiled at the blonde girl. "You know a lot about these things. You should be really proud of her."

"O-oh yes, of course," Minako quickly replied. "You did a fine job, Ami. It was a great effort for someone who has not sung a lot."

"Thank you all," Ami said and held up her hands. "But enough of this now. It's late and I need to go home."

Everyone felt that this was a good idea. They walked together on their way home, leaving the downtown district behind them. One by one, the girls left the group when they had reached their respective destinations. Eventually, it was only Minako and Ami who were walking together.

No one of them said anything. The only thing that was heard in the dark night was the sound of their shoes touching the concrete of the sidewalk. Minako looked at her blue haired friend. She looked tired, but also happy. Her cheeks were a bit rosy and her eyes glittered. Minako was unsure if it was because of the cold or the happiness from her performance earlier today, or perhaps a combination of both.

She took a deep breath. "I know we've already said it a thousand times, Ami, but your singing today was really good."

Ami smiled and looked down in the ground. "Thank you, but really, it was nothing."

"Nonsense," Minako said and made a gesture with her hand. "I am a trained singer and have a lot of experience in performing, and even I was deeply impressed."

"Oh... yes, thank you," Ami mumbled, looking even more embarrassed. "That is right. I am happy to get such praise from you."

"Also, that song you chose to sing, Moonlight Maiden, is challenging, indeed," Minako continued. "I must say I am a bit surprised that you picked that one when being so inexperienced with singing."

Ami nodded heavily. "It is definitely a difficult one. I actually felt very unsure singing some of the parts..."

"But you still did a pretty good job," Minako said and smiled. "No one sings it perfectly the first time they try."

"That is true."

"Still, I can understand why you chose that song," Minako continued. "It is so beautiful and emotional. I really, really like that song, actually. And I love to sing it. It is actually one of my favorite songs to sing. I can't count how many times I have picked that song on previous karaoke sessions with other people."

"You must do a really good job with it," Ami said politely. "And yes, it is such a lovely song. I really like it. Also, I am happy that I did not disappoint you on one of your favorite songs."

"Don't worry about that," Minako said and patted her friend on the shoulder. "I would never judge one of my friends for not performing it perfectly."

The girls reached a fork in the road. "Oh, here is where I take off," Minako said. She turned around and gave the bluenette a hug. "Thank you for tonight, Ami, and see you soon!"

"Thank you, Minako," Ami said. "Take care of yourself!"

Minako saluted and winked her eye jokingly, then she said a final goodbye and left her friend and walked down the smaller road. She breathed in the cold evening air as she walked down the road in a quick pace. Despite the chill, she felt pretty good inside. They had had a great evening, and from now on, things would only get better. She suppressed a yawn as she saw her house appear around the corner further down the road. It would feel good to get inside again and snuggle up in bed in her pajamas with some manga and hot chocolate.


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

**Monday, nine days later**

"And I can't liiiiiiiiiive... Live without your looooooove..."

Artemis sat on the floor in the hallway outside Minako's room, patiently watching the closed door. His mistress was recording vocals for a demo that she was sending to talent agencies in hopes of being picked for an audition. Minako always wanted to be alone when she was recording her vocals, and that meant he was booted out of her room, being forced to sit on the cold floor in the hallway instead of lying on her warm, soft bed. She claimed this was because she was concerned he would mess up her recording by accidentally making a noise, but deep down, Artemis felt that it was probably because she got nervous of having him watching her singing.

The singing on the other side of the door finally came to an end. Soon enough, Artemis heard the sounds of typing on a keyboard and clicking with a mouse. She was saving the vocal samples in the music program. After a short while, he heard footsteps approaching, and Minako opened the door. She looked all sweaty and exhausted, like she had fought a big battle.

She frowned at Artemis when she saw him outside her room. "Were you sitting there listening to me the whole time I was recording? You know I don't like when you do that."

Her voice was a bit raspy from singing for a full hour straight.

"I was not sitting here," Artemis quickly responded, aware that he was not telling the truth. "I came by just now."

"Oh, never mind," Minako said and looked back into her room. "Do you want to come in? The recording is done now. You can listen if you want to."

"Sure, I'd love to!" Artemis replied. He knew it was not as much of an offer as an indirect order. He followed Minako inside the room.

The room was hot and humid and the air felt really thick, like he was stepping inside a sauna. Minako had closed all doors and windows and turned off the air condition in order to remove all the background noise during recording. Artemis hopped up at the bed, rolling up into a ball, trying to ignore the sweaty air around him. He so wished that she would open a window, but Minako was never going to allow that during the playback of a vocal demo. She would never risk letting strangers on the street hearing what she had recorded. He watched as she went over to her computer and began fiddling with the mouse.

"It is not mixed yet, so it is still a bit rough and unpolished. And maybe the volume needs a bit of adjustment...and some reverb..." she mumbled while rewinding the track on the computer.

_She seems unusually tense,_ Artemis thought while watching her from the bed. _Usually, she is shining like the sun every time she has recorded something._

"Okay, here we go," Minako said and pressed the Play button.

The music began streaming out of the speakers. It was Moonlight Maiden, one of Minako's favorite ballads. Artemis had been a little surprised of the choice of song. It was a tricky one, and Minako had never before chosen to include that song in her application to an audition. What was even stranger was that Minako had been unusually obsessed with this song over the last week. She had been rehearsing it a lot and had made several test recordings. Artemis had lost count of which take he was currently listening to.

Artemis carefully looked over at Minako while listening to the song. She did not look as happy as she usually was. She was staring at the screen, following the play marker intensely with her eyes.

Finally the song finished. Minako stopped the playback and lowered the volume on the speakers. She turned over to Artemis. "So... what do you think?"

"It sounds great as always, Mina!" Artemis said and smiled.

"Heh, thank you," Minako said and smiled, but not as warmly as she used to do.

Artemis waited for her to keep talking about the song and her vocals, like she always did after recording something. To his confusion, she did not continue the conversation this time.

They sat there for a few moments. Then Minako turned to him again. She looked him right in the eyes. "Does it _really_ sound good, Artemis? Are you being honest now?"

Artemis got a little surprised by the sudden question. Did she not believe him? Had he said something wrong? "Well, yeah, of course," he replied. "I think it sounds good. Why would I not?"

"Really?" she mumbled and looked back at the computer screen. Then she sighed and looked him in the eyes again. "Are you sure it sounds good all the way through? You don't think my voice sounds a bit... you know, _unnatural_ at places?"

_Oh... so that's what she's aiming for._

"Well, it..." Artemis did not know what to say. He did not want to break his princess' heart, but the thought of lying her right up in the face was also unacceptable. "It sounds... What should I say..." he began, not being able to finish the sentence.

"Okay, so it _does_ sound unnatural," Minako said. The girl suddenly looked very tired. "Speak out, Artemis. Don't hold it back just to make me happy."

Artemis felt devastated. "Minako, please don't be sad, I... Alright then, I will be honest. Yes, maybe it sounds a _little_ tense and unnatural at certain places, but overall – and I _really _am honest now – it sounds great!"

Artemis put his front paws down on the blanket fiercely, as to clearly mark that he was serious.

"Thank you," Minako said with a sigh. "I believe you. I guess it's no big deal, really. But thanks anyway."

She shot him a little smile, and this one looked more natural. She then turned back to the computer and began adjusting various controls for the vocal tracks. Artemis sat on the bed, watching her using the computer.

After a while, he took a breath and spoke up. "Minako, mind if I ask you a question?"

"Sure, go ahead," Minako said without taking her eyes off the screen.

"Why are you so determined to use this particular song for your application package? I know it is one of your favorite songs, but before, you always picked other songs."

Minako stopped typing on the keyboard. She looked at the screen for a while, and then began talking quietly while continuing to work on the song. "I just wanted to, that's all. I have sent my other songs so many times. I wanted a change. And did you not listen when I told you that people want to hear songs like these nowadays?"

"Yes, of course, but shifting to this one came so suddenly, I think. And it is a difficult song to sing. Not to be mean, but you did almost ten retakes when recording this song today. Shouldn't you pick a song that's... you know, more fitting for _your_ voice type?"

A quick flinch went through Minako's body. She turned her head and stared angrily at him. "So you _did _sit outside my room the whole time!"

_Damn! Artie, you idiot!_

He lowered his head in shame. "Uh...yes, I did. I'm sorry, Minako. I was just so curious about your recording..."

Minako shrugged and turned back to the computer. "Never mind. Forget about that. But anyway, I don't want to talk about it."

Artemis looked at Minako with worried eyes, but decided to drop the subject. Instead, he tried another angle to cheer her up. "Oh, I just remembered. Next week, you have no school at all, right?"

Minako smiled and seemed to light up again. "Yes, that's right. School holiday for a whole week. I really need that."

Artemis smiled. "I can imagine. And also: this weekend, you are going to have karaoke again, aren't you? And in a bigger version too, right?"

A warm joy spread all over Minako's face. "Yes we are! We could not have one last week as Rei had to do ceremonial duties at the shrine and Makoto had caught a cold. But this Saturday, all is set, and it's going to be grand!"

"I heard you are all going to bring several classmates with you?"

"That's right. We have booked an extra big karaoke box at the parlor. Usagi will be dragging several of her friends there. Among them Naru, Kuri, Yumiko and—" She gasped. "—Umino."

"Oh dear..." Artemis moaned. "I wonder if his singing is better than his eyesight..."

"I wouldn't bet on it," Minako said with a giggle. "Hey! Imagine him in a duet with Usagi!"

"Oh _double_ dear!" Artemis groaned and fell down on the bed. "I'm so happy I will not tag along with you."

"Well maybe, but you'll be unlucky to miss my star performance!" Minako answered and winked her eye at him.

"There'll be plenty of time for that in the near future I'm sure," Artemis said and looked Minako in the eyes, "I'll watch you on the stage every night."

Minako looked away trying to hide a smile. Her cheeks got a slight change of pink. "Thank you, Artemis..." she mumbled. She went back to the computer and began typing again.

_Yes, got that one down!_ Artemis thought proudly to himself with a warm feeling in his chest. _She is so cute when she is really happy. I really wish for her to succeed with her dreams. She deserves it._

* * *

**Saturday evening**

At last Saturday came. Minako was heading downtown, feeling the excitement pumping in her heart. She had been looking forward to this karaoke session for two weeks now, and the cancelled karaoke of last weekend had only made her even hungrier for some quality singing.

She had already decided that this was going to be her night. She was going to be the star of the evening, being the one who gave the best performance and the one who everybody would cheer for the most. _Grand_. That was the word that best described the event for tonight. Not only were some of Usagi's classmates going to be there this time, but they had all aimed for trying to get a bigger karaoke box. Minako really enjoyed the more luxurious tones, even if it cost a lot more.

Minako had been planning and preparing ever since early morning. She had gone to the beauty salon to get her hair and nails done in order to let that true star quality shine through. It had cost her quite a big part of her monthly allowance, but for a night like this it was worth it. She had then gone shopping for new outfits and had then been trying them all out at home in various combinations – putting Artemis as the judge – so that she could get the most perfect look for tonight. After an hour of carefully selecting and combining clothes and asking Artemis for his opinion, she had picked a golden colored blouse and a red skirt that was about as short as you could get while still retaining some dignity. She did feel a bit cold in the autumn evening with wearing just a short skirt and no panty hose, but if you wanted to be a star in show business, you had to make a few sacrifices. Besides, it was not much different from when she was running around in her Sailor scout outfit.

At last she arrived at town square where the karaoke hall was. She had carefully planned so that she would arrive about seven minutes later than the decided time, just to highlight her entrance a bit. Her friends were already there. Even Usagi had made it on time. Minako walked up to the others, giving each of her female friends a hug, while politely shaking hands with the guys. It was not that she did not like hugging boys. Far from it. But the only problem was that she considered some of the guys in the crowd a bit "unhuggable", and she did not want to give any one of them an invitation.

"Wow, you look gorgeous, Minako!" Naru said, looking at the blonde girl's stylish outfit and well-tended hair. "You look like a real fashion queen."

"Oh, thank you!" Minako said with a big smile, happy that all the effort she had put into her looks was well-rewarded.

"You're one hot babe alright!" Umino yelled out, hungrily scanning Minako with his eyes, letting his gaze linger a little too long at her short skirt. "You know, if I was not already booked up with Naru, I would take you to my home straight away, skipping the karaoke and heading directly to the bedroo...OW!"

"There is a fine line between compliment and harassment, Umino," Naru said, holding the boy's ear firmly. "A fine line."

Minako chuckled, not sure whether she was supposed to find the scene humorous or embarrassing. Umino was awkward in every situation you put him in. He was, in a way, the male equivalent of Usagi, but Minako did not want to think in that way. It felt like an insult to her odango-haired friend.

"Let's go inside!" Usagi said impatiently. "It's cold out here and I want to sing already!"

* * *

A big surprise came over the group as they walked into the karaoke room. It was indeed much more spacious and well decorated than the ordinary karaoke boxes. The sofas had leather covers, the walls and roof were covered with blinking lights, and to Minako's happiness, one of the corners had been remade into a stage, where the singer could stand up when performing his or her song.

"Wow... this sure is a big room..." Naru mumbled, making big eyes.

"It looks a bit pompous and overblown," Rei said with a frown. "This is not my style."

"I wonder how expensive it is," Makoto said, grasping her purse, "I've already spent quite a lot of money this month..."

Minako became thoughtful. Her friend had a point. Even though she was better-off financially than the tall, brown haired girl, she did not want to put a fortune just on one single karaoke night, no matter how fun it would be. And she had already used a lot of her allowance today.

In the midst of the confusion, Umino cut in. "You do not have to worry, ladies and gentlemen!" he said proudly. "You see, my parents really worry about my social relations, and they desperately want me to find a good girlfriend I can pair up with and eventually settle down with. They were really happy hearing about my plans for tonight, and they have the more conservative views that a lady should always get the best treatment possible, and therefore..." Umino winked his eye, "...they agreed to lend me their card for this very special evening!" He took out a golden colored card of his pocket, proudly waving it in the air. "Free karaoke for everyone!"

"Yay! Free karaoke!" Usagi cheered, raising her fist just like Umino. "Let's party, everyone!"

Kuri, Yumiko, Makoto, and most of the other boys and girls were delighted about this and started to chatter and laugh, but Rei, Ami, and Naru looked a bit taken aback.

"Uh, Umino..." Naru tried to cut in amidst all the noise and laughter, "Did they really say it was okay for you to use that card to pay for a whole _group_ of people?"

"Well, they never mentioned anything about that, so I don't know!" Umino happily said, caught up in his own euphoria.

"Yes, but did _you_ ever mention to _them_ that there would be..."

"Oh Naru, don't be a party pooper!" Usagi yelled and grabbed her hands. "We're gonna have a great karaoke here at this great place for free! Please just enjoy yourself!"

Naru nodded and let her sentence remain unfinished, but she looked a bit worried.

"Oooh! This room is amazing!" Usagi said, her eyes bouncing around the room, "There is even a stage! Look, Ami! There is a stage!"

She pulled the blue haired girl's arm and pointed at the stage.

"There is a _stage_?" Ami said with fear in her eyes, "and we are supposed to stand there...when we sing?"

"Well, Ami, you have nothing to worry about," Minako said and scratched Ami's head playfully. _Unlike some others in this room..._she added in her mind, giving a quick eye towards Usagi and Umino. She shook her head when thinking of Umino and his usage of his parents' card. He would probably get grounded for a month for that, but she was not the person who said no to a free session of karaoke.

The karaoke finally began. Most things went as expected, even with the additional people in the group. As usual, Usagi made sure she went first, and as always, her performance was a mix of cuteness and absurdity. Minako looked at Usagi's classmates during the performance. They had polite, but slightly embarrassed smiles on their faces. She held back a giggle. _They're probably really used to this by now, the poor people!_

Usagi was immediately followed by the major bulk of her classmates. Minako carefully analyzed and judged their singing abilities in her mind, just like she always did. Their performances were not really something out of the ordinary. Yumiko had a quite okay voice, if just a little weak. Kuri had a lot of power and confidence, but was really off key. The others did not seem to mind, but Minako was always really irritated at such things. Then there was one of the "highlights" of the evening: a duet between Naru and Umino. Umino insisted that they should sing "Summer Nights" together, the popular theme song from the musical Grease. Umino was really into it, happily dancing around and striking various "fancy" poses. Naru looked like she wanted to get off the stage as soon as possible. Despite her demise, she still put her best effort into her singing, and she did it quite well, actually. Naru had a really good voice. Minako was surprised. How could Naru and Usagi be such close friends when they were so different? Naru was intellectual, well-mannered and talented. Usagi was... well, the opposite of that.

Minako had planned her performance for the evening in big detail. This _was_ going to be her night, and she was not going to let anyone spoil it. She would sing Moonlight Maiden and she would do it well. She willingly let Usagi, Makoto, Rei, and Usagi's classmates go before her. She would let them set up the mood, and then do the main performance herself. It would make her performance stand out from the average performances by the others.

Makoto had just finished her song and walked off the stage. She wiped her forehead with a tissue and put down the microphone on the table. "Okay, so who's up next?" she asked and looked at the others with a smile. "I think most of us have sung now, right?"

"Yes, I think so," Rei said. "It is only Minako, Ami and Satoko left."

Minako smiled when Rei mentioned her name. It was time to move out. The timing was perfect. The mood in the group was great, and Makoto's performance had been at the just right level to keep people excited, but longing for a better and more skillful singer. She felt the adrenaline rise inside her veins. Now was the time!

She was just about to open her mouth and announce the news, when suddenly from nowhere, Ami's voice spoke out. "Is it okay if I sing now?"

Minako's jaw dropped, and she stared at Ami in big surprise. She had planned and calculated every step of the karaoke and all possible actions people could do and not do, but she had _never_ thought that Ami would take the initiative herself. This behavior was very different from what she had shown two weeks ago.

Minako felt some irritation rise inside her. Ami's interference messed up her plan a little. It was not that much of a big deal, but singing right after Ami was not as effective as singing after Makoto. You always got the best reaction if you stepped up and did a great job right after someone not so good had walked off. Ami was quite good as a singer, as evident from two weeks ago, and going from good to great was not as enchanting as going from okay to great. _Oh well_, she though. _Of course not everything could go as planned._

The others shared Minako's surprise over the sudden new confidence the blue haired girl showed. Rei gave her a warm smile, which you did not see the miko do too often. "It seems you have more confidence in yourself now," she said to Ami. "That's good. Of course you should be the next one to sing."

"Ami is actually very, very good at singing!" Usagi eagerly told her classmates, which made Ami look a bit nervous.

"What song will you sing, Ami?" Naru asked with big interest.

"I am going to sing... Moonlight Maiden."

_WHAT THE HELL?_

Minako exploded inside. She stared intensely at the blue haired girl.

Ami had once again chosen Minako's song. She had once again stolen it from her right in front of her nose. Two weeks ago, it had been just a coincidence. But not now. Not this time.

Minako tied her fists behind her back. She was so angry that she felt like her bones could shatter. After the karaoke session two weeks ago, she had clearly marked for Ami that she loved this song and wanted to sing it at the next session. There was no way in hell that Ami could have missed that. And now, Ami did this to her.

Minako watched her friend – who had now seemingly turned into her rival – stepping up on the stage. The others cheered and clapped their hands, which made Minako's blood boil even more. They did not even react over Ami's betrayal! They did not even care about the misery she just felt!

The intro to Moonlight Maiden started. From the speakers came the sweet tones that Minako loved so much. Sadness filled her heart. She had been looking forward to singing this song. She had thought of nothing else the whole week. And now the chance was gone! It was true there was no official rule that you could not sing the same song twice in one night, but that was simply something you did not do.

The intro finished. The tones of the first verse began. And then Ami began singing. And from that moment, Minako's world collapsed.

Ami's voice was completely different from last time. It was like a different person.

All the cracks and faults from before were gone. All of them. The voice of the water princess was faultless. It was perfect. Ami's voice had improved so much it was unbelievable, and she showed a lot more confidence too. She had gone from a shy beginner to a true performer who was well in control of her voice.

Minako went numb inside. The rest of the world disappeared. Only the image of Ami, standing on the stage happily singing Minako's song, remained. It branded itself onto Minako's retina.

She began convulsing. It felt like needles were piercing every part of her skin. Deep inside her heart, she knew what had just happened.

Ami Mizuno, her beloved friend and ally, was singing her favorite song, and she was doing it better than Minako had ever done herself.

Ami had the high, angelic soprano voice type. The voice that Minako had always wanted to have. And now, Ami had also learnt how to use that voice. Her performance was flawless. Her voice was strong and steady, her breathing technique was correct, and she hit all the notes perfectly. This was the way the song was supposed to be sung.

This was what all the idol companies were looking for.

Minako felt like she was getting tunnel vision. She felt like she was going to throw up. She left the karaoke room and headed for the ladies' room.

* * *

Minako stumbled inside the bathroom. Thankfully, there was no one else in there. The bathroom was a stark contrast to the colorful hallways outside. It looked dirty and grimy. A foul odor hit her nose as soon as she entered the room, making her stomach turn. The pounding music from the karaoke rooms was heard as only a dampened sound through the walls.

She darted over to a stall and dropped down on a toilet seat. She buried her face in her hands. She leaned forwards and put her head low, almost between her legs. She took several deep breaths. Slowly, she began to relax and felt her stomach settle down. The world stopped spinning and her vision returned to normal again.

She sat up straight. Her breathing was heavy and she was staring at the wall intensely. Thoughts rushed through her head as she was trying to process what had just happened. The image of Ami was dancing in her mind. The image of the blue haired girl standing on the stage, flawlessly executing the vocal performance of Minako's favorite song.

_Two weeks._

Ami was good at learning things. She had the discipline and the intelligence to find the best techniques for learning new things effectively. It was no big news. The same pattern had happened so many times before.

_TWO weeks!_

Ami was a genius. Her abilities were unnatural. She was extremely talented and gifted.

_TWO. BLOODY. WEEKS._

Minako screamed. She punched the wall with the side of her fist. She pounded the wall over and over again while screaming from the bottom of her lungs.

In only two weeks' time, Ami had mastered the art of singing. In only _two weeks' time_, she had learned to do exactly what Minako had been struggling with for years.

The first phase of the shock had gone. What now was in her heart was anger. Pure, raw anger – and jealousy – that pumped like poison through her veins for every single heartbeat.

_That little freak... That spoiled, egocentric, snobby little freak! How can she manage to learn such a thing in such a short time?! It is not possible! It is not fair! She always exceeds in everything she does! She is always better than everybody else! And she always wants... she always wants to show off to others!_

Minako crawled up from the toilet seat. She dragged herself out of the stall and up to the mirror. The image that stared back frightened her.

Her eyes were filled with poison. The anger in her face was a total contrast to her bright clothing and makeup, and made her look like a monster.

_I have practiced for so long and I still cannot do it. She is not even interested in singing, and she makes it just like that. She was... She was making fun of me. She was rubbing it in my face. She wanted to humiliate me!_

Paranoid thoughts rushed through her mind.

_I suck. I am worthless. I cannot accomplish anything. I will never become an idol. My singing will never be good enough. I will try in vain year after year, and I will eventually get too old to become an idol, and then it will all be over..._

The sadness and desperation clenched the inside of her body. The joy of the karaoke was long gone. The whole evening was ruined. And it was all Ami's fault. She stared into the mirror again. Tears started burning in her eyes when she saw her hair and the clothes that she had spent so much time and money on. She had been so proud of herself right before she had left her home an hour ago, and now she was disgusted with what she saw in the mirror. She looked like a clown. She looked like a pathetic little child who tried to look like a pop star.

She just wanted to run away.

But she could not just leave like that. The others would worry, and they would never let her go without an explanation. Minako felt the taste of bile in her mouth. She had to go out to them one more time. She had to go out and say goodbye.

She had to go out and show Ami her ultimate defeat.

She quickly straightened her back and looked herself in the mirror. She fiddled quickly with her hair and clothes. She looked alright on the surface, but you could easily see the emotional torment in her eyes. She had to fight hard to keep her tears from not falling down her cheeks. If she would cry, her makeup would be running all over her face, revealing her true emotions.

Minako tried to calm herself down by taking a few deep breaths, but the putrid air in the bathroom only made her feel like vomiting. With nervous steps, she walked back to the karaoke room.

* * *

The loud noise and bright lights pounded in Minako's eyes and ears. Usually she loved all the glitter and glamour, but now it only made her want to puke. She stepped inside the karaoke box. As soon as she saw Ami and the others, the tears wanted to push themselves out of her eyes again.

Everybody stood in a circle around Ami, who looked a bit like a trapped animal. They cheered and chattered, praising Ami's performance.

"That was lovely, Ami!" Makoto yelled, slapping her friend on the shoulder with a little too much power.

"N-no, not really," Ami said and rubbed the part where Makoto's palm had struck. "I just wanted to sing a song..."

"Your voice is beautiful, Ami! Wanna sing a duet with me next time?" Usagi cooed.

"Th-thank you, Usagi," Ami said, "but my voice is not really something special. I just sang a little."

Minako's eyes fixated on the blue haired girl. She felt darkness creeping inside her mind.

_Just look at that girl. Look how she is just standing there with puppy dog eyes, pretending to be surprised and unaware. She is playing the goody-two shoes again, like she always does. But deep down she is really enjoying this, and the other ones are too stupid to notice._

"You really know how to use your voice," Rei said, "You are like a true professional."

"No no!" Ami protested, "I don't know anything about that! I just tried to sing like I always do."

_Bullshit!_ The thought exploded in Minako's mind._ You know very well how it all works, you little liar! You always find the patterns and mechanics in everything, and this is no exception!_

Her brain was desperately trying to process all the information that she was taking in.

_You have taken vocal lessons. I'm sure of that. NO ONE improves that much in just two weeks without being given some guidance. Not even you!_

Suddenly, Naru realized Minako had come back. She looked at the blonde girl with a hint of worry in her eyes. "Oh, Minako, you're back! I was surprised when I found out you were missing." Her face changed into a frown. "Are you alright? You look really exhausted."

The other ones looked up at Minako. She could tell from the looks in their eyes that she did indeed look miserable. She did her best to give a weak smile – but she could not meet Ami's eyes.

"Minako!" Usagi whimpered. "You look awful! Are you alright?"

Minako realized she had to say something. She held up her hand and tried to give away a chuckle, but it only came out as a moan. "Yes, I'm fine... I mean... no, actually, I... I don't feel very well..." She knew she had to come up with something more than that in order to be able to slip away. "I don't know what happened, but I..." Her mind panicked to find an acceptable reason for her distress. "...I started to feel really sick in my stomach... just now. It struck me all of a sudden. As a matter of fact... I had to go and throw up in the bathroom..."

Her friends made big eyes. They looked genuinely worried about her.

"But Minako..." Makoto said. "That's awful! How could that happen all of a sudden? Come here..." She put her hands on Minako's shoulders. "Sit down, have a glass of water."

Minako panicked again. She knew she had to break free quickly or Makoto would never let her go. "Th-thanks, Makoto," she said and removed the girl's big hands, "but I am okay, really. I just need to go home and get some rest, that's all."

The tall girl frowned a little. "But Minako, throwing up just like that and all, that's not good... Are you sure you don't want Ami to have a look at you?"

_NO! Anything but that!_

Minako took a step back, then quickly stuttered out her apology. "I'll get home safely, don't worry! I just need some rest. Thanks a lot for tonight, guys. Too bad I had to get sick. See you next week, hopefully!"

"Are you sure you don't want me to follow you to your house at least?" Makoto called out, but Minako was already halfway through the door.

* * *

When the front door to the karaoke parlor slammed shut, the blonde girl was already far away. She was running away in the cold autumn night. Away from the karaoke. Away from all the neon and glamour. Away from her dreams of fame and glory.

When she had made it far enough to know she had not been followed, the tears finally broke free. Crystal teardrops streamed down her face as she ran home through the cold night air.


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4**

**Sunday**

One day had passed since the disastrous karaoke event. Minako was sitting on a bus going to the outskirts of town. She stared out of the window, fidgeting with a golden lock from her hair. The weather outside portrayed the same bland emotion as her face. It was still a sunny autumn day, but the rays of the sun were now rather weak, and the sky had tones of gray mixed in with the blue. Her clothes and styling followed the same pattern. No bright colors, only neutral makeup. Normally, she would never go out in public without wearing something bright and colorful that caught people's attention, but today she did not want to be seen. Today she only wished to keep a low profile, and focus on her personal problems.

Last night had been really tough. As soon as she had come home she had run inside her room and crashed down in bed, exploding into a mess of tears, convulsions and dripping makeup. Artemis had been terrified. He had never expected her to come home so early from a karaoke event, let alone in this horrific shape. He had tried to make contact with her in all possible ways, but she had not been able to say even a single word to him. She had just held him close in the darkness of the room, crying into his fur. Eventually, he had given up and just settled for being her silent support.

The morning after, she had managed to somewhat sort out all the thoughts and feelings that had rushed inside her heart during the previous day. Once the storm had passed and the tears had dried, she had begun looking at the situation from new angles. She was still devastated, but in a more controlled, bitter way than before when she had been consumed by blind rage.

She sighed and let her chin rest in her hands. She watched the world rushing by outside the bus window.

Minako was not a person who could be alone with her sadness. As the extrovert she was, she could not stand suffering in silence. She had to talk to someone about how she felt. Someone she could share her pain with. Someone who would understand, and could provide her with some good ideas on how to deal with the whole thing.

The only problem was she did not know whom she could talk to. Artemis was usually the one she confided in, but she had decided to not pass on these feelings to him. He had tried to approach her again the morning after when she had calmed down a bit, but she had just made up an apology for ignoring his worried eyes and continuous requests. She had felt a lot of guilt for turning him down, but she had good reasons for doing so. Artemis was too closely connected to the whole gang as a unit. Yes, he had an extreme loyalty to Minako, and she never doubted him for a second, but at the same time, he also had a strong loyalty towards Ami, and bringing out an internal conflict over something that would probably seem so trivial to him would only result in disaster.

Talking to her parents – or Luna for that matter – was also out of scope. Her parents would only yell at her, and Luna would only give one of her endless lecturing rants. The only ones left to talk to were the other girls in the gang.

Minako had thought for very long whom she would dare to pass the topic onto. After several calculations, she had come to the conclusion that the best one for the job was Makoto.

Makoto was not ideal, but it was the best Minako could come up with. The other girls were out of question for various reasons. Rei was very caring, and always thoughtful and focused. But the problem with her was that she only heralded the duty, and never listened to the heart. She would only frown at Minako and regard her problems as childish jealousy, and then give a long speech about a warrior's true purpose and all that stuff, kind of like Luna would do.

Then there was Usagi. The gold hearted bunny always took the sadness of her friends very seriously, and she always tried to help out as well as she could. However, she would never come up with any good practical solutions to any problem. She would probably also be so affected by the situation that she would break out in tears herself, as emotional as she was. Besides, there was a risk that she would blab for the whole world about Minako's feelings, which would only make matters worse.

By some evil ironic twist, it was evident that the most appropriate person to consult for matters like these was Ami. The water princess was a good listener, and she had both the intelligence to come up with good solutions and the empathy and sensitivity that allowed her to understand other people's pains, no matter how big or small their problem was. For blatantly obvious reasons though, she could not use Ami this time...

So it had to be Makoto. Minako felt a bit nervous about it. It was not that she and Makoto were not close. Makoto was sweet, and she always wanted to help her friends as much as she could. The only problem was that she was very strong willed and had a very hot temper. And Minako was just the same.

She and Makoto enjoyed each other's company, but they had also come to blows several times, with heavy arguments and long periods of silence as a result. Every time it happened it followed the same procedures. As long as they were in agreement, they were the best of friends. However, once they disagreed on something, the argument only escalated until they were screaming at each other. This was something Minako feared could happen with a sensitive topic like this.

She had not had much hope when she had nervously typed in the message on her communicator and sent it privately to Makoto. To her surprise however, the brown haired girl had been very receptive about meeting up today for a talk. Minako had not revealed the topic of conversation. She had only said that she wanted to meet alone.

The bus finally reached its destination. Minako slipped out of the seat, paid the fee and stepped off. She saw the café a short distance away.

They had decided to meet up at a café in the outskirts of town. A café they rarely visited. Usually, they met up at the arcade, or the café where Motoki's sister Unazuki worked, but Minako had refused to go there. The other girls often hung around that spot, and she definitely did not want to risk meeting up with any of them during this important talk.

She nervously grabbed the door handle and pushed it open. A bell rang quietly. She quickly looked around the room. The café was not extremely big, but it was at least divided into different sections and booths, enough to give some peace for a private conversation. The interior of the café and its visitors looked as bland and dull as the day outside. She scanned the guests one by one. Most of the visitors were middle aged or elderly men who drank coffee and read newspapers. Then there was a mother with her three kids. The children stormed around and made loud noises, probably in a desperate effort to escape the dullness that was eating up the whole world around them. The mother's scolding had very little effect on the kids, and she looked really tired. Minako felt a shiver in her body. It was moments like these that made her feel like she would never want to have kids.

Eventually, she spotted her brown haired friend in a corner at the end of the café. She waved her hand and smiled, hoping it did not look too unnatural. She slowly made her way over to the table.

Minako nervously glanced at Makoto as she sat down at the opposite side of her friend. She wondered how the brown haired girl would take the topic she was about to bring up. Fortunately, Makoto did not seem suspicious or doubtful. Rather, she looked quite relaxed.

Makoto looked up at her and smiled. "Hi there, Mina! It's nice to see you!" she said. "Please, take a look at the menu first and think well what you want to order. No rush!"

"Thanks, Makoto," Minako answered. She was happy that Makoto understood her feelings. She obviously tried to make Minako feel as comfortable as possible and wanted to give her a chance to take things at her own pace.

The waitress, a skinny girl in a short skirt – probably a part time worker from high school or freshman year at university – came over to their table to take their orders. Minako just had a soft drink. Makoto ordered a large cup of tea and a huge donut.

As the waitress left their table, silence fell over the two girls. Minako did not know how to start. But Makoto did not push it. She quietly read a magazine she had brought with her. After a few minutes, the waitress came back with their orders. As she left their tables for the second time, Minako decided to speak up.

"Thank you for coming, Makoto," she said with an unsteady voice. "I am so sorry to bother you like this..."

She bit her lip, not sure how to proceed. Makoto looked at her with warm, caring eyes. She put one of her big hands on Minako's hand. "No problem, Minako. You know I'm always happy to help you when you need it."

"Thanks, Makoto." Minako smiled to her friend. "It really means a lot to me, you know."

Makoto smiled and took a bite of her donut, cutting off almost a third of the piece of bakery in one munch. Makoto always tried to act as gracefully as possible, but when she was distracted by something else, she could surely put her big body parts to use. If this had been a normal meeting Minako would have laughed. But now she was too tensed up to think of any humorous comments.

"How are you feeling, by the way?" Makoto asked when she had swallowed the big donut chunk. "You looked awful yesterday. We were all worried when you told us you had thrown up in the toilet and all."

"Oh yeah, that... Yes, it felt really bad," Minako said, fighting not to show any signals of that it had all been a lie just to escape the place.

Makoto fidgeted with her tea cup for a while. Eventually, she let out a sigh. "Minako, let's be honest here. You did not throw up after all, did you? It was a cheap excuse to get home, wasn't it?"

Minako flinched and nervously looked into the dark eyes of the brown haired girl, but she did not see any anger in there. Makoto only looked worried. Minako decided that she had to speak the truth. "Y-Yes... I'm sorry, Makoto...I was not being honest." She felt too embarrassed to look at Makoto. "I didn't mean to lie to you all..."

"Hey, no problem," Makoto said, lightly touching Minako's cheek. "I understand how you feel. We all need to get away sometimes. I'm here for you, you know, so you have nothing to worry about."

"Thanks, Makoto," Minako said, happy that her friend took it so well.

"Now, tell me," Makoto said. Her voice was more firm this time, but still had plenty of softness. "Obviously there is something bothering you. So please tell me what it is, and I'll see what I can do about it."

Minako took a deep breath. This was typical of Makoto. Always quick to the point, staring the problem right in the eye.

"Yes, there is something I need to tell you, Makoto..." she began, her voice shaking a bit, "you might see it as a trivial matter, but it is really a big thing for me."

"A-huh?" Makoto hummed while drinking her tea.

"Also, may I please ask you if we can keep this only between the two of us?" Minako asked anxiously. "Please don't tell any of the other girls, and not the cats either. At least for now. If I feel more confident later on, we can bring it up to them, but not right now, okay?"

"You have my promise," Makoto said with a nod. "I would never betray one of my friends."

"Thank you. Now, before I start, I want to tell you that you do not have to agree with me. You can say to me that I am wrong and all that. The only thing I ask is that you listen to everything I have to say, and that you honestly try to understand how I feel."

"Of course," Makoto replied with a smile. "So what is it you want to tell?"

Minako swallowed. "It might be difficult for you to grasp. You might not accept what you hear at first..."

"Yes, sure, Minako," Makoto said and gave her friend a helpless smile in a jokingly way, "but I cannot help you if you never start telling me what is on your mind."

"Many people would say it's a small thing," Minako whined, "but I'm really serious about this, and—"

"Stop bouncing around the subject, Minako," Makoto interrupted, her voice now really firm. "Say what you want to say, and don't be afraid."

Minako swallowed. There was no turning back now. What would happen would happen.

"The thing that concerns me..." she began, "is... it is in fact... Ami."

Makoto stared at her for a few moments. She put down her tea cup on the table and leaned forwards. "Now that is something I did not expect," she said. Her eyes were full of genuine surprise at first, but then became more concerned. "But now when you mention it, it does seem that it might have something to do with that, since all the things with you occurred when Ami started singing." She put her hands on the table and looked Minako in the eyes. "Tell me: what's up with Ami? Has something happened to her?"

Minako shook her head. "Nothing has happened to her. It has been happening to... me..."

"What do you mean?"

Minako swallowed, unable to fix her gaze at her friend. She took a deep breath, and prepared herself to take the dive. "Makoto, I... I think that Ami is... making fun of me..."

Minako shut her eyes and lowered her head, almost like she was expecting to get punched.

Makoto stared at her, confusingly trying to puzzle together a full picture from the small pieces her blonde friend had just given her.

After several moments of silence, Makoto realized she had to say something. "But... Minako, that's... what do you mean by that?" she finally said, stumbling a bit over the words.

Minako shyly looked up at Makoto. She took a few breaths and focused. After the first waves of fear had settled, she felt some confidence return. She dared to meet Makoto's eyes again. "What I mean is..." she said. "I think Ami is... mocking me. She is humiliating me. Intentionally."

Makoto stared at her. She had a frown on her forehead, which most likely came from equal amounts of worry and skepticism. She was obviously pondering whether to trust her friend or disregard it all as one of the normal Minako-absurdities. "But Minako," she said. "that's... How can you say that? Do you understand what you are saying? Do you understand that you are accusing Ami of doing something really bad?"

Minako bit her lip, then looked at Makoto again, this time with sadness rather than fear. "Yes, I understand what I am saying," she said, trying to sound as convincing as she could, "And yes, I believe it. I did not want to think it was true at first, but now I am sure of it. I believe that Ami has been setting me up."

Makoto looked at her, and finally seemed to decide to trust what she was saying. She got a comforting look in her eyes. She took Minako's hand again. "Come on, Minako," she said in a soft voice. "Tell me about your feelings. What has Ami done to you that is so bad?"

Minako felt the confidence return. She stroke a golden lock out of her face and tried to sit up as straight as she could. "Okay, I will tell you what I think. Remember what you promised! You must listen to me and try to understand how I feel. Okay?"

"I promise."

Minako took a deep breath and finally let out all her feelings. "It all started on that karaoke session two weeks ago," she began. "I was looking forward to it very much. I loved how we all were so into it. Then Ami did this thing, you know. She picked the song I had planned to sing. She picked _my_ song..."

"_Your_ song?" Makoto said, "Hmm... do you mean Moonlight Maiden?"

"Yes exactly!" Minako said, then quickly added: "...but I don't mean that it's only my song, of course. Others can sing it. I don't mind that. But please let me move on..." She collected her thoughts again and continued her story. "I was happy for Ami's performance. I mean, I loved it. It was nice seeing her come out of her shell for once. I even praised her. Then we had karaoke two weeks later. That was yesterday, as you know..."

"Yeah?"

"I wanted to sing Moonlight Maiden yesterday. I wanted it so bad..." Minako got a sad look in her eyes. "...but then she steps in right in front of me. She picks that song again right in front of my nose... just like that!"

As she recalled the events of last night, the rage started to seep back. She pressed her fingers towards the table. "But that's not what's hurting me. The worst part is that she goes up and... performs it perfectly! In two weeks time, she has learned to perform it flawlessly. The song that I have been struggling with for over a year now!"

Minako started to get caught up in her own feelings again. Her voice increased in power. "And that might be okay if it was just a coincidence... but it's not!"

The worried look in Makoto's eyes was slowly being replaced by a look of irritation and disbelief, but Minako was too upset to notice.

"Here's the deal," Minako said and held up a finger in the air. "I believe... no, I am _convinced_ that Ami planned this! Since that first karaoke event we had, she must have practiced in secret! Then she waited for the perfect opportunity to step in right in front of me, and then she sang that song."

Minako's emotions were now firing on all cylinders. She cringed of bitterness, heavily emphasizing how tragic and lonely she felt for having been set up in such a scheme. "She did all of that just to mock me. She did not sing that song just to have fun. No! She wanted to show me that she was better than me. She wanted to show me – and everyone – that she could do a better job than someone who has dedicated her life to becoming an idol."

Minako slumped down again, almost gasping after air after her big emotional discharge. "That's what I am thinking. That's what my problem is. Do you believe me?"

She raised her head and looked into Makoto's eyes.

Then, after less than a second, she looked away again. "You don't believe me."

Makoto was silent, seemingly not knowing what to say. Once again, the girls were stuck in a moment of awkward silence.

"Minako, I..." Makoto began, then she sighed and let it all out. "No. I'm sorry; I do not believe you are right here."

"I can see that." Minako's voice was a quiet mutter. She was sitting with her head to the side, lips tightly pursed together.

Makoto sighed again. A small glimpse of guilt was shining in her eyes, as if she had said something really harsh to her close friend. She stroke Minako's shoulder, like she was comforting a sulking, little child. "Look, I understand your feelings. I know you love that song. I know that you wanted to sing it very much, but I'm sorry, Minako. I cannot believe that Ami made up some kind of plan to disgrace you. I cannot believe anything else than that she picked that song just because she felt happy singing it. She probably felt comfortable doing that song again rather than picking a new one. That's all."

Minako looked up at Makoto again, eyes filled with anger. "I knew you would say that! I knew that you would deny what I am saying about her. I know that you think that this is just some thoughtless drabble I am making, but no, this time it is different!"

Makoto raised her right eyebrow. "_This_ time is different? Don't you always say that?"

"It _is_! I'll show you what I mean!" She took a deep breath and looked into Makoto's eyes. She was ready for combat. "...this time I have evidence!"

Makoto stared at her. "Evidence? Really?"

Minako hesitated a little. "Or... well, not really physical evidence, but... Let's just say I know what I am talking about, okay?"

"Alright..." Makoto said, looking a bit tired.

Minako leaned forwards and held up her hand like taking a battle stance. Making gestures to emphasize her arguments, she began her speech: "Don't say you did not hear that Ami's voice had improved over these two weeks. Her voice got so much better it's unbelievable! _No one_ improves that much without taking vocal lessons and practicing really hard. No one! Not even Ami. I know this for a fact!"

"Minako..."

"Don't say you did _not_ hear how much her voice had improved!"

"Minako... Yes, of course I heard that her voice was much better than two weeks ago, but honestly, was that not just because she was much more confident this time? After all, she barely dared to open her mouth when she first tried singing that song."

"Yes, of course! But confidence alone will _not _improve your singing voice _that_ much! I know this. I have practiced singing professionally for very long."

"But Minako, when would Ami find time to do all this practice? I mean, she has cram school almost every evening, and—"

"She probably skipped cram school then!" Minako cut her off. "She knew no one would ever suspect that _she_ would be skipping it, and—"

"Now you're being ridiculous," Makoto said, looking quite irritated.

"No I'm not! Look, I will tell you in detail about the change in Ami's voice. Listen!"

Minako took a breath and prepared another rant, oblivious of Makoto's increasing uneasiness. "First of all, her breathing technique improved a lot. Two weeks ago, she did not have a proper support from her lungs, as she did not know how to utilize her diaphragm, and that made her lose a lot of power on the long notes. But yesterday, her breathing was almost perfect!"

"Eh...okay?" Makoto said, not really following the technical bits of Minako's argumentation.

"Second, she had learned to smoothly alternate between using her chest voice and her head voice. That is something that everybody struggles with in the beginning, and two weeks ago she was clearly having cuts in her singing when she shifted between the voices. But yesterday, the shifts were almost effortless."

"Huh?" Makoto looked really lost.

"Finally, one could not fail to hear her usage of vibrato! Two weeks ago, she did not use it. Just sang plainly out in the air. But yesterday, oh my God, she was making the thrills on all the specific notes!"

Makoto shrugged. "Well, maybe... I don't know any of that stuff. I only heard her voice sounded very good, and that's it."

Wild anger filled Minako's veins. She had just put forward clear evidence of Ami's singing, and her friend was just ignoring it! She slammed her hand down. "That's because you SUCK at singing!"

The other people in the cafe looked over at the two girls. Makoto just stared at Minako, mouth open.

_Damn._

Minako's face turned white. Her rage disappeared immediately. "I-I'm sorry Makoto. I did not mean it that way. You're not a bad singer. Really, you aren't. My tongue just slipped."

She tried give Makoto a forgiving smile, but the warmth in the brown haired girl's eyes was gone.

"Well, apparently I do not know as much as someone who 'has dedicated her life to becoming an idol'." Makoto crossed her arms over her chest, looking very disappointed.

Minako felt fear rushing through her mind. It had happened again. She had let her feelings take over herself, shattering the small fragment of confidence she might have had with Makoto. She knew she had to salvage what was left. Quickly.

"Makoto, I'm sorry! Please say you forgive me! I... I did not mean that, and you know it..."

She looked at Makoto with pleading eyes. After some moments, the brown haired girl finally let out a deep sigh, then put her hands down on the table and looked at Minako with seriousness in her face. The blonde was not sure if it was a good or a bad sign.

"Listen, Minako. I know that you did not mean that. I know you well enough by now not to take any of your little outbursts too seriously. And you are obviously not very balanced at the moment, so I understand that things might come out the wrong way."

Minako felt relieved. "Thank you, Makoto. You know, I—"

"However!" Makoto cut her off. "Now it is my turn to say a couple of things to _you_."

She held up a finger and looked Minako into the eyes, making the blonde girl pipe down and set her back straight. "Minako, I am trying to say this in a nice way. You are one of my best friends, but you do have some sides to your personality that are... a bit strange."

Minako opened her mouth a little, but did not say anything.

"To be completely honest, you are very egocentric – to the point of being pretty annoying at times. You almost always look at everything from your own perspective, as if you were the main character in everything that happens. You seem to think that everyone is doing things only for you... or against you."

"That's not true at all... I'm not egocentric..." Minako mumbled, looking a bit hurt.

"I think you are," Makoto said, looking a bit sad, but still determined. "And I think it causes you and others a lot of unnecessary pain and disappointment."

"But..."

"No, listen now, Minako," Makoto said sharply. "You are blaming Ami now for stealing your show and coming up with some kind of shadowy plot just to drag you in the dirt. Don't you see yourself how extreme that sounds? Please, Minako, take an honest look at yourself for just a second. Don't _you_ always try to put on a scheme every time we are having a karaoke, or some other kind of similar event?"

"What is that? I don't..."

"Yes, you do. Don't think that we don't notice how you prepare and outline your performances in every detail. You never go out first. You always hold off singing until most of us have taken our turn. And we are quite sure that all that is just because you like to step up and outdo all of us."

Red color spread all over Minako's face. "Th-that's ridiculous..." she stuttered. "I... I would never..." But the shameful look in her eyes clearly showed that Makoto's comment had hit right on the spot.

Makoto sighed. "Did you really think your four best friends would not be able to see through you?" Then the irritation in her voice faded away somewhat. "But... I can accept that, Minako. Really, I can. After all, you are the best performer of all of us, and I know how much you love to make a good show, and also, all of us like to see your happiness when you perform."

She sighed and flipped back a brown lock. "However, what I _cannot_ accept is that when Ami goes up right before you and sings your song – even though there is nothing called _your_ song – you go completely ballistic and come up with ridiculous claims that she has conspired against you. You know very well that Ami has all the right in the world to sing whatever song she wants to, when she wants to, and as well as she can."

Minako gritted her teeth. "I didn't say anything about that! Of course she can sing whatever she wants. It's just that this is different! She wanted to step on me! She took vocal lessons for one reason only: to be able to break me right in front of everyone. You were all fawning over her, and that's exactly what she wanted me to see. She wanted to take my crown right off my head and leave me out in the cold!"

"Oh God, Minako, you..." Makoto shook her head out of absurdity. "See what I mean? This is exactly what I'm talking about. You think that _everything_ is about you, that you are the center of the whole world. You just proved my theory a hundred percent."

"So why is it okay for her to stand in the center of everything and enjoy the praise from all of you?! Why are you telling me to get off my high horses while you're raising her up to the stars?"

"Look, just because we praised Ami for a few seconds does not mean we have forgotten about you. It does not mean that we think you are a bad singer. We _know _that you are great. We know that you are a true talent, and we love to hear you sing. The only reason we praised Ami was because we had never heard her sing like that before, and that we were so surprised and happy for her."

"Bullshit!" Minako said, now getting really upset. "Can't you see this is all part of her plan? She knows very well that no one of you would ever suspect her because you do not know enough about vocal training and you all think she is so sweet and innocent, and—"

"Knock it off, Minako!" Makoto said, now really raising her voice. "This is getting out of hand! You know, this is a second negative trait about you: you are sometimes _really_ paranoid about things."

The girls looked at each other. The anger in their eyes could easily have dug holes in a concrete wall. The children at the other end of the room had stopped running around as the conversation between the two girls had escalated and were now looking at them with interest. The mother hissed at them to stop staring, with little effect.

"And also... you are moody," Makoto said, lowering her voice again in an effort to get the conversation to at least a bit more sensible area. "You are extremely moody at times. And when you are, you show a very irrational behavior."

"I'm not moody and I'm not irrational," Minako growled.

"You are," Makoto countered, refusing to give her blonde friend any mercy. "Look, let me give you an example: As you know, we have this rule in the karaoke that no one can claim the ownership of any song. We put it in because Usagi always wanted to have songs for herself and wanted no one else to sing them. Do you remember who of the rest of us came up with this rule and really stressed its importance for Usagi? Yes, Minako, it was _you_."

Minako stared at her with big eyes, completely taken off guard.

"You gave very good arguments for the rule," Makoto continued, "and even Usagi, as whiny and stubborn as she is, realized she had to accept it. So then all was nice. But look at you now. Now you're sitting here, moping about that Ami has sung _your_ song, whining when we only praise her for just a few minutes, and worst of all: making up stories that the whole world has plotted a scheme against you. Is that not an _extremely _egocentric and irrational behavior?"

Minako felt like a kettle about to explode. "So once again, everything is my fault, isn't it!" she burst out, "It's always like that! You never listen to me! I asked you to listen to me and try to understand how I felt! I _asked_ you!"

"And I _did_ listen to you and tried to understand!" Makoto replied, equally as angry, "but you also said that I did not have to agree with you! I have the right to say my opinion, and I have tried to say it as sensibly as possible!"

Minako slammed her hand down in the table. "You didn't try anything! You never believe what I say anyway! You just want to protect that selfish, sly, cunning little blueberry head and place the blame on me!"

Makoto pounded her fist in the table and stood up, almost knocking her chair down. Her huge stature became fearfully obvious as she towered over Minako. "Now you're crossing the line! Ami has done nothing wrong to anyone! She is kind, hard working and humble! You are the one who is selfish and cunning! And add to that paranoid, outrageous and disrespectful!"

"Fine then!" Minako said and stood up as well. She was not as tall and menacing as Makoto, but she made up for it with her sheer anger. "I don't need to take this! Go and have fun with your beloved little Ami Mizuno if she means so much to you! I don't need you and you don't need me!"

She grabbed her purse and took out her wallet. She tossed some money bills on the table and stormed out of the café.

The brown haired girl silently watched the blonde tornado disappear. Her hands were tied into fists and her knuckles were white, stemming from the equal amounts of anger and disappointment over her friend's behavior.

* * *

The blonde girl ran through the cold, raw autumn air. Quick, choppy breaths poured through her teeth. She ran without a having a particular place to go to. She just ran to get away. Away from scolding. Away from harsh judgments. When she had gotten a far distance away from the café, she stopped and leaned against a brick wall trying to calm down. The air felt like ice in her mouth. Grey clouds had begun to gather in the sky, making the once so dull day turning a bit gloomier.

After catching her breath she stood up again. She wiped away some tears stinging in the corners of her eyes. She glanced in the direction of the café. No one had followed her. No one was around. She was all alone.

She leaned her back against the brick wall. With a loud growl, she slammed her hand into the stones.

_That fat, stupid, brown haired bear of a woman! She never believes me! She always protects that blue haired girl! Who is she to call me "paranoid" and "egocentric"?_

She was furious over the accusations Makoto had thrown upon her. Egocentric? Paranoid? She had only opened her heart to one of her best friends, and had been met with nothing but coldness! It was crystal clear what Ami had done towards her, but Makoto refused to see it that way. Instead, she blamed Minako for everything. It was unfair!

She sat down on the sidewalk, putting her arms over her knees. Her breathing became more relaxed. All the events over the past days now began to connect in her brain. She went through the scenes one by one, carefully puzzling them together.

Ami had put up a scheme against her. No doubt about that. Ami's voice had improved so much over just two weeks, something that was impossible to do without intense focused training. She had most likely taken singing lessons. Even though Ami was very good at learning new things herself she was always keen on working together with teachers, and would happily take assistance from them. Seeking up a teacher in secret would be a typically behavior for her.

It was also clearly evident that Ami had – at least to some extent – planned out the events at yesterday's karaoke party beforehand. It could not be a coincidence that she had chosen Minako's song again right in front of her nose. She had obviously done it all just to show her own talent to the others and let Minako feel the bitter taste of defeat.

To tell the truth, she was not that angry about Ami's newfound skills anymore. After all, that was just to be expected. Ami was a genius, and she usually outscored anyone on most things she did. It happened all the time, no matter what she tried to do. And also, she definitely did not hate Ami in any way. The girl had been her friend for very long, and they had been through so much together. Ami had even saved her life on a few occasions. That held a lot more weight than some cruel operation at a karaoke session. No, what Minako was really frustrated about was how Ami pretended to be innocent and sweet. If Ami was so crazy about showing off her talents, could she not do that out in the open, at least? Could she not just announce "I will sing your song, Minako, and I will do it much better than you!"? It was not fair play! Minako was used to fierce competition. She was used to come out as the loser. She had been shedding blood in all these tough idol auditions for more than a year now, developing a thick skin as a result. So why did Ami have to play the goody-two shoes for the whole world while putting her fingers in Minako's eyes when nobody was looking?

Even more hurting was the fact that everybody automatically assumed that Ami was the good guy in the drama, and that Minako herself was the culprit. It was like some sick, perverted curse had been cast upon her. Yes, she could admit that she had sometimes let her hot temper get the best of her, and she was also aware of that she had been wrong many times before. But did that mean it was fair to always accuse her of this whenever something happened? Why could not people look at the pieces from an objective angle instead of just judging from experience?

And also, why did no one ever consider that Ami could have a dark side? It was as if her soft and shy exterior manipulated everybody around her. _Nobody_ was without a dark side! Not even Ami! In fact, Minako was sure that Ami had several dark secrets inside of her that she tried to hide from other people.

Ami was a perfectionist and obsessed with being the best in everything she did. Everybody thought of this behavior as some cute side effect of her determination to study hard, but Minako was sure there was more to it beneath the surface. She was sure that Ami not only liked being the best, but also highly enjoyed showing everybody around her how good she was. She hid this behind her constant comments of that "scores means nothing, it is the effort one puts into it that means something", but Minako did not buy that. Ami was a human being after all, and human beings were greedy and competitive. Minako had always noticed that quick flash of anger in Ami's eyes anytime she missed a single point at a test or when someone else in class gave a better answer to a question than her, and how quickly Ami had hidden it a second later.

And not to forget, Ami had the brains and the appearance to be able to deceive people easily. She knew enough of psychology and human behavior, and she was always very calculating. Minako knew that Ami always measured and analyzed every inch and second of her life. Ami was also very good at keeping her cool. Unlike someone like Usagi – who had her feelings written all over her face every second – Ami could always put on her shy exterior as a camouflage and fool everyone that she was that innocent, hard working school girl. If there was anyone who could come up with a twisted and sinister plot, it was Ami!

In fact, the more Minako thought about it, the more convinced she became that Ami was also using Minako's own personality as a part of her plan. She was aware that she could be quite hotheaded at times, and many people saw her as being moody and melodramatic. This was something Ami could use to cover up her own plan. If Minako would try to come with any accusations against Ami, people would think she was making everything up, and she would become the scapegoat once again, just like in the recent fight with Makoto.

Minako sighed. She still felt bitter, but now she was also starting to feel weak and dumb. The tension and anger inside of her had faded somewhat, and now, the classic old feelings of guilt started to come back.

She had been very rude towards Makoto. She deeply regretted it now. Her friend had only been honest, but Minako had let out all her angry feelings on her. Makoto really liked Ami, and did not know much about singing or such things. Of course she could not believe Minako's story. But even if Makoto had not believed her, Minako knew that she had made an honest attempt at understanding her feelings, and that was a lot for someone as brash as Makoto. But Minako had now blown out that little light of hope, and it was only her own fault...

It was almost humorous in some absurd way. Minako had reached out for help from her close friend... and she had had received it. Makoto had welcomed her with open arms... and then Minako had let it all slip away through her fingers. After it was over, the only thing she had succeeded with was playing along with Ami's plan. She was so pathetic. The only thing she was doing was blindly following the lead of that blue haired little bitch.

Minako quickly shook her head and felt a sting of guilt in her heart. No. That was not right. Ami was not a bitch. It was not fair to call her a bitch. She would not give her friend a low blow like that. Ami was a good person deep down, and she had helped Minako and the others more times than she could count. This was just a negative trait she had, just like everybody else had a dark side...

...and _still_, Minako was angry! Even though she tried to be as reasonable and fair as she could, the anger welled up inside of her. Okay, if Ami was fundamentally a kind person, why did she do something like this against her close friend? And really, who decided what actions were minor and what was over the edge? Minako was the one who had been hurt and stepped at. She should be the one to judge!

Exhausted and heartbroken, Minako slowly crawled up. The dark clouds had grown really thick, sending signs of an impending rain storm. She was shivering as she walked towards the bus stop, not sure if it was from the cold weather or the sadness she felt inside. She wondered what she would do next. Would Makoto say anything to the other girls? What would she do the upcoming days when school was closed for the whole week and they were expecting to meet up and having fun together almost every day? Would she be able to even look Ami in the eyes, now that things had played out the way they had?

Could she ever find a way out of this dark pit?


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5**

The blonde girl and the white cat sat still in silence in Minako's room. The girl was curled up into a ball position with her arms around her knees. The cat sat on the bed a few feet away from her. He was watching the girl with his small blue eyes filled of worry. She had just told him everything that had transpired yesterday and today, and he now had to process the massive amount of information that had been presented to him, something that felt as easy as escaping from a spider's nest.

"So that's what happened," he finally said, thoughtfully staring out in the air.

"That's what happened," the girl said in a quiet, monotone voice.

Artemis sighed. He let his gaze drift through the room. He looked at all the items that Minako was so proud of. The posters on the wall, the toys stacked in the bookshelves and the big rack of CD's in the corner of the room. The whole room almost screamed out that this was the home of a teenage pop star. He then moved his gaze back to the sulking girl. She looked like a former celebrity who had lost all her fame and fortune. He took a breath. "You did not tell me anything," he said quietly, his voice sounding a bit disappointed, but not carrying any signs of anger. "You came home in the middle of the night, much earlier than expected, and you were crying hysterically, but you did not say a word of what had happened..."

Minako's eyes displayed a wave of guilt. She looked down in the floor. "I'm sorry..." she said quietly.

"I am not angry, but I was worried," Artemis said sadly. He slowly moved up to Minako and curled up against her legs. "It always frightens me when I see you devastated like that. And it worries me even more when you won't tell me what it is. You always come to me when you need advice, but this time, you did not."

"I'm sorry..." Minako whispered again. She turned her head and looked down at her feline friend with sad, broken eyes. She brushed his fur lightly with her hand. "I'm sorry, Artemis. I just couldn't... talk to you at that point. I know you probably feel hurt about that, and I'm truly sorry."

Artemis looked at her with his gentle eyes and gave a little smile. "I understand. You were probably afraid that I would take Ami's side, disregarding your feelings as pure nonsense, weren't you?"

Minako looked away, even more guilt showing in her eyes. "I-I don't know... It's just..."

"Minako, you know that I never disregard your feelings," he said with a kind voice. "I would never take Ami's side and leave you alone."

Minako took a few breaths. "I know, Artemis. I'm sorry for being so annoying. It means so much to me that you are there for me." She rolled over and lay down on her chest. She let her chin rest in her hands. Her and Artemis faces were very close. Minako looked at him with weakness and honesty in her eyes. "You are like my mentor and my teacher," she said quietly. "I really like all the advice you give me, but I was... I was nervous what you would think of me in this case." She sat up again and took a breath. "Your job is first and foremost to guide and coach us five girls as Sailor scouts. I just felt that you would be annoyed with this trivial matter which has no connection to the Sailor business."

Artemis shook his head. "Nothing can be further from the truth, Minako," he said firmly. "You are the Sailor scout I am tasked to guide yes, but you are also my friend, and your feelings matter more to me than your duty as a warrior. And after all..." he gently poked her leg with one of his front paws. "...You and I have been together long before you met the other girls, haven't we?"

Minako gave off a weak smile. She shrugged, but her eyes looked a bit more focused. "That's right," she mumbled. "I did not think of that."

Artemis sighed quietly. "Well, I'm happy at least that you went to talk to somebody instead of choosing to suffer in silence."

Minako looked down. "Yeah... even though it didn't go too well..."

Artemis sat up and tried to give her a supportive smile. "Yes, sorry to hear that. I know that you and Makoto are close friends, but you can also be a quite explosive combination at times."

"I know..." Minako sighed. "It started out pretty well, then everything just went out of hand..."

"Did you have an outburst again?"

Minako's face tensed up. She swallowed before speaking out. "I didn't mean to. It just happened. It was in the heat of the moment..."

She let out a sigh and tossed her hair behind her back, then she looked into his eyes once again. "Alright, Artemis. Let's get to the point. So what do you think of all this?"

Artemis licked his paw and looked around the room. After a few moments, he slowly started to speak. "Let me put it this way: I completely understand your feelings and your misery. I understand that you felt betrayed by what happened. But... I do think that Makoto is right on a few points..." his voice trailed off at the last sentence.

Minako's stared out in the air. "I see."

"Listen," Artemis said and held up a paw as to show he was honest. "I do believe to some extent that Ami probably figured out how to use her voice since the last karaoke session, and I do believe that she wanted to sing to the best of her skills. Ami is naturally a quick learner, and she probably picked up a lot from singing that song and listening to you and the others when you sang."

Minako's face still did not show any reaction. "But?"

Artemis looked away. "But... I cannot honestly believe that she would set you up the way you claim she did. To say that she had made a big scheme in order to humiliate you, and to say that she had skipped cram school just to take singing lessons... Minako, please. Don't you hear how unrealistic that sounds?" Artemis looked at Minako with sad, pleading eyes.

Minako let out a low growl. She pulled herself into a ball position once again, staring out of the window.

"I know that's not what you wanted to hear," Artemis continued, "but I—"

"But what?" Minako cut him off. "You're just like Makoto. Immediately jumping to conclusions without trying to see the whole picture. Always sticking to your own version of the story without listening to others."

Artemis had to fight really hard not to groan over the fact that Minako was sounding like a parody of herself, but he steadied himself and focused to regain his reasoning composure. "But Minako," he tried, "Why would Ami Mizuno do that? Why would the most shy and gentle one of you all do such a thing against a close friend?"

Minako looked at him, more forcefully this time. "Because she is competitive and obsessed with showing everyone that she's the best. Her whole outer appearance of being quiet and shy is just a facade. What she really wants is to show everyone that she can be better than everyone on everything."

"That is not true, Mina..." Artemis said. "She loves all of you very much, and she is endlessly thankful that she has you others as her friends. You know very well how lonely she was before she met all of you. She was practically frozen out by everyone in her age, had no friends through her whole early childhood. Of course such isolation will cause a person to become quiet and soft spoken."

Minako tied her hands into fists. "Don't you see how obsessive she is with getting full score on every single exam, and how angry she is when she misses just a single point? Don't you see how she bosses the rest of us around when we are having a studying session?"

"She wants to get top grades so that she can enter the best medical universities in Japan," Artemis tried to reason. "She pushes you on the studying sessions because she wishes you the best."

"Bullshit," Minako said. She curled up into a ball again. She stared out in the air with dark, empty eyes. "If you had been there yourself you would have noticed the changes in her voice," she said quietly. "The other girls are too ignorant to notice, but you know the technical parts of singing."

Artemis nodded, well remembering all the vocal coach videos he had been forced to watch together with Minako, and how many times he had been hearing her practicing new techniques. "Well," he said quietly. "I was not there, unfortunately, so I cannot say anything."

Minako did not answer. She just kept staring out in the air.

Artemis decided to try and settle everything. "Look Minako," he said in a reasoning voice. "Why don't you and Ami just sit down together and talk about it. I can be there for you as moral support. Makoto will surely be happy to be there too. I am sure tha—"

"No! Never!" Minako said loudly. Her voice had become slightly thicker, and something hard seeped into her eyes.

Artemis became perplexed. "Why not?"

"Because then she will win!" Minako growled.

Artemis looked at her in confusion. "She will 'win'?"

Minako scanned the surroundings with her eyes, almost as if she felt she was being spied on. "Don't you see that is what she wants?" she said, her voice lower in volume, close to a whisper. "It is all part of her plan. If we have a meeting like that, Ami will just look at us with her puppy dog eyes and play innocent. She will say that she doesn't know what I am talking about and that she is sorry if she caused any harm and blah blah blah..."

Artemis looked down in the bed and shook his head. Why did teenage girls have to be so complicated sometimes?

"...and then everybody will believe her," Minako continued, "and I will come out as the bad guy in the drama and everybody will praise Ami for being so noble and sensitive. And I will be remembered as the villain every time we go to karaoke from then on."

"Minako, there is no villain in this," Artemis said, emphasizing every word. "There is only a misunderstanding between two friends."

Minako was barely aware of that Artemis had spoken. "I can see it in front of me," she said and then started imitating Ami's voice and manners. "Oh M-M-Minako, I-I am so sh-shocked. I d-did not know you felt like this. I-Is there something I c-can do to m-make you feel better?" she whimpered, emphasizing Ami's big eyes and high-pitched, stuttering voice.

Normally, Artemis would have smiled at Minako's performance – she was indeed very skilled in parodying other people – but now he only felt frustration with the blonde girl's childish behavior. "Please stop this now, Minako," he said with a little more force. "You are blowing things out of proportion. You are seeing things that are not there."

"Yeah yeah yeah..." Minako said sourly. "I am always the one who exaggerate things, right? But that damn little Smurf girl, she is always innocent."

"And you _don't_ have to call her names," Artemis said, irritation starting to show in his voice. "You've made your point perfectly clear."

Minako snorted. "I know exactly what you think. You think I am paranoid, just like Makoto says, right?"

Artemis groaned quietly. He stared down in the bed for a few moments without saying anything. He then looked up at the blonde girl. "To some extent, she is right actually," he said.

Minako flinched when she heard this. Her gaze hardened and began staring at him. Artemis knew he had taken a risky step. It was one thing when he did not agree with Minako and offered her other possible interpretations of a situation. In fact, he knew that she liked to hear other sides of a story, even if she always moped and groaned about it. But giving her direct criticism was something else. Even if she got scolded pretty much every day by her mum or her teachers at school, it was different when it came from him.

"How dare you!" she growled, the sense of betrayal shining from her eyes. "How dare you say such a thing!?"

Artemis knew he could not back down now. He had to be firm and face her straight on. "Minako, you are a very kind hearted and intelligent girl, but sometimes you construct conspiracy theories out of just tiny fragments."

"I do not!" the blonde replied harshly.

"You do, and it worries me," Artemis countered, struggling to find a balance between mild and firm. "It worries all of us. It does not lead to anything good. It is completely unnecessary, and in the end, it only causes you a lot of suffering."

"I am _not_ paranoid!" Minako said loudly, but the growing thickness in her voice indicated that he had hit a nerve. "Tell me a time when I have been!"

Artemis felt the irritation grow inside of him. "How many examples do you need?" he said. "Take the time when you had your birthday last year. The other girls had decided to throw you a surprise party, so they pretended to be completely unaware that it was your birthday so that they could shock you with it later. And what did you do? After only half the day had passed, you were all hysterical and sent angry personal messages to each girl saying that your friendship was now over, despite that I urged you not to. Then just minutes after sending the messages, the girls stormed inside your home to reveal their surprise, and just as they shouted 'happy birthday, Minako', those messages reached their communicators. You had a lot of explaining to do after that."

"So... so that was last year! I've changed a lot since!" Minako said angrily, but she could not hide the uncomfortable feelings that spread over her face.

"And remember some months ago when you tried to date that guy in your school," Artemis continued. "One day, you saw him hugging another girl on the school yard. You got all furious, ran up to him and slapped him all over his face – right in front of everybody. Just after that, he revealed that the girl was his older sister whom he had not seen in several years because she had been out of the country. As a result, he lost his heartfelt feelings for you, and you were sent to the principal's office for a long talk."

"Okay, so I was wrong!" Minako responded, gritting her teeth. "It could happen to anyone!" But she did not look into Artemis's eyes anymore.

The cat watched the blonde girl. She had retreated to the corner of the bed and was now curled up against the wall. The anger practically oozed from her body. Her eyes displayed a tremendous load of rage, hurt and bitterness, but there was also one more thing: weakness. Minako knew that she had been defeated. Artemis was still irritated of her immaturity, but his heart was also filled with sadness. He hated to see her broken down, and he knew how powerful his words could be to her. This tough love was necessary sometimes, but that did not mean that he enjoyed using it.

"Okay..." Minako said quietly. "Maybe a little then. Maybe I am a little paranoid sometimes... But this time it's different. I know it is different. But what does it matter? You don't believe me. Makoto doesn't believe me. No one believes me..." She looked like she was close to tears.

"Minako..." Artemis said with a sad voice. "I'm sorry if I was being mean, but I had to say my honest opinion. You know I only wish you the best, and if I would lie to you it would only hurt you more."

Minako dropped down on her back, spreading out her arms and legs powerlessly. She stared blankly up in the roof. "If you had only been there," she whispered. "If you had only heard her voice..."

"I want to believe you," Artemis said. "I really do, but there must be some rationality in what you say. Some logic."

"I am doing the entire job for her, am I not?" Minako said.

"Sorry?"

"Ami's whole plan," Minako said bitterly. "I am acting exactly the way she wants me to. By being a paranoid, stupid, hysterical idiot, going from person to person telling them my true feelings and making them disregard me, I seal my own fate. That's exactly what she wants. I do all the work, and she doesn't have to lift a finger."

"Minako..." Artemis said again, his voice now being sad. He was so tired of seeing and dealing with her pain. He moved closer and leaned against her body. "Look, you have been through a lot of stress these last days. Why don't you..." he looked up at her and tried to smile. "Why don't you take some time off? Just let go of everything for a short period of time and let your feelings cool off. Once you have become more relaxed, we can work together to try and solve this problem."

Minako became furious. "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard!" she snapped at him. "What am I going to say to my parents? To the other girls?" Her voice changed once again as she started to make another parody which sounded a bit like a classic "dumb blonde" sketch. "'Hi girls! I know you are having trouble defeating that monster, but I am off for a few days, so pleeeease work hard and try not to die, okay?'" Her face quickly changed back into a mask of anger and tiredness, then she looked guilty. "I'm sorry..." she said with a weak voice.

Artemis looked down in the bed, hurt, but ashamed at the same time. Minako was right. It had been a very stupid suggestion. Being a sailor scout was a permanent duty that forced you to be ready twenty-four seven. He sighed. He was too tired to continue the argument. He lay down next to her. They both remained still for a while, not uttering a sound.

Finally, Artemis took a breath and let out his final line: "Look Minako, no matter how you see it, there are only two things you can do. Either you let it all go, or you confront Ami and talk about it. There is no other way."

Minako did not answer. She kept staring up in the roof.

They lay on the bed in the dark room for a while until the silence was shattered by the voice of Minako's mother. "Minako! Dinner!"

Minako did not move. She lay still on the bed.

A minute later, her mother called out again, more forcefully this time. "Minako! I am not telling you again!"

"Please go, Minako," Artemis said to her quietly.

"I'm not hungry," Minako muttered.

"Please. You know how angry your mother will be."

Minako groaned and crawled up from the bed. She walked out of the room with heavy, powerless steps, very different from the usual athletic vigor she normally showed.

* * *

Artemis lay still on the bed after Minako had left. He exhaled deeply and let himself slump down, becoming almost totally flat against the mattress. He felt so tired. These arguments with Minako always drained his strength, but if he would not be there for her, who would?

After a while, he stood up again and hopped off the bed. He pattered out of the room and down the hallway. He needed to get it all out of his mind for a bit. Walking on the wooden floor, he heard the sounds of the Aino family by the dinner table. He heard the metallic sounds of cups and pots, the scolding voice of Minako's mother, and Minako's monotone replies. He sighed again and continued down the hallway.

So, what exactly was true and what was not? Artemis had a difficult time forming something out of the small puzzle pieces that Minako had offered him. In a way, he knew that it was almost impossible. Not only had he not been there at the actual event, but he only had Minako's perspective of the story, and somehow he felt that this perspective was not really the most objective one.

He decided to try and believe Minako's angle for a shot. He stopped and looked down into the floor, his brain processing the possibilities. Alright, he could believe that Ami had, to some extent, looked into the techniques of singing, and to some extent really wanted to do an as good performance as possible on the second event. In this case, he had to agree with Minako's opinion of Ami's character. Ami was indeed a perfectionist and she loved to constantly challenge herself. She also loved to learn new things and was very curious about all kinds of subjects. It would only be natural that she found out that singing was a joy once she had dared to try it, and then wanted to learn more about it. In fact, he could almost see her sitting by her computer the very same night, researching about various facts about singing.

But to conspire against a close friend and make up a whole scheme just to shame her in front of everyone?

Artemis stared down in the floor, then he sighed and shook his head. No. That was not possible.

He could not for his life believe that this shy and gentle blue haired girl could do something like that. The girl who blushed and looked away every time someone as much as gave her a single compliment. The girl who felt truly devastated when Rei and Usagi fought and always tried to settle peace between the two girls. As much as he tried to think in the same patterns as Minako, he could just not feel that this was possible. Besides, when would Ami have time to do this? It was a miracle that she even had time for doing the Sailor business, with all the school work she had.

But still, he felt endlessly sorry for his blonde princess. It was a long time ago since he had seen her feeling this bad. He had seen her being outsung in idol auditions numerous times and had comforted her while her tears were flowing. But this was much worse. In a way, he could understand why. Losing in a competition was one thing. It was a battle, and someone had to come out as the loser. But being outsung by a friend was something else. That was backstabbing – or at least that was how Minako was interpreting the whole situation.

He understood why she had sought up Makoto. Still, he had known it was a bad idea immediately when he had heard about it. He had seen endless times when Minako and Makoto got into a verbal argument and the hours of frosty silence it resulted in, and it did not get any better with the fact that the topic was about Ami, their own close friend. He did feel a little hurt that she had not come to him for support from the beginning, but he could also understand that she must have felt worried of how he would take the whole situation.

Artemis felt exhausted by all the thinking. He needed to do something else that could take his mind off the current situation. Something practical. He came out in the hallway by the front door. He walked over to the door and looked around the room, then frowned when he saw a big pile of papers lying in a corner. Minako had forgotten to pick up the mail again. It was one of her house chores, and she often forgot about it – or simply just ignored it – resulting in big fights with her mother. The mail had probably been lying here since Friday.

Then he got an idea. If the mail would be lying here uncollected, there was a big risk that Minako would be scolded by her mother, and she definitely did not need that in the emotional state she currently was in. Also, he had been asking just a minute ago for something more practical to do, so why didn't he just sort out all the mail while he was at it? He could of course not carry all the mail to the respective family members, but he could at least separate all the envelopes and papers after subject and type, making it a lot easier for Minako. It might not be the most entertaining work, but it sure beat bearing the whole Minako-Ami affair on his tiny back.

As usual for an ordinary household in the city of Tokyo there were all sorts of mail: adverts, newspapers, bills, magazines. Artemis used his paws and mouth to shove the letters and papers into different piles. He put all the magazines in one place – separated based on the intended reader: Minako, her mum or her dad – then he put all the junk mail in one place and all the bills in one place. It was a bit tedious for a cat to move all the items around, but after several minutes he had already arranged a big part of the mail and was starting to get to the bottom of the pile. He paused to take a breather and proudly looked at his work. He then decided to get to the last mails.

Then he froze.

He stared at a specific letter lying in front of him. A letter that he absolutely did not want to see.

He felt a chill creeping up through his back. Oh no. Not that letter. Not now.

He quickly stared back towards the main hall and the dinner room. The Aino family was still in there eating dinner, but for how much longer?

With his tiny heart racing in his chest, he grabbed the letter between his jaws. He lifted it up from the floor and then ran as quickly as he could back to Minako's room, groaning a bit from the difficulties. The letter was not particularly heavy, but it was wide and flat and very inconvenient to carry in one's mouth when running.

He knew that he did not have much time. He had to see what was inside the letter, and he had to see it before Minako did. There was no other way. This letter could mean either heaven or hell. If it was good news, then it could very well lift Minako out of her depressive state, at least for the time being. If it was bad news... He did not even want to think of that.

Artemis ran inside Minako's room. He hopped up on Minako's desk and spat down the letter on top of it. He pulled out the claws on his right paw and carefully began cutting the edge of the envelope. It was not an easy task. A cat's claws were clearly not made for opening envelopes, and it took him almost a whole minute before he could finally reach the contents inside. With big effort, he grabbed the letter between his teeth and slowly pulled it out of the envelope. Panting a bit, he finally dropped the letter on the desk and began reading.

Coldness filled his heart. The hairs on his back rose.

This was bad. It was much worse than Artemis could ever imagine. He must hide the letter, and quickly, before Minako came back.

Then, he heard steps outside the door. Then someone reaching for the door handle.

He nearly blacked out. Massive panic filled his heart.

He frantically looked around the desk, but he knew it was already too late. There was nothing he could do. With only a second to spare, he did the only thing that was possible. He quickly dropped down on top of the letter and the envelope, trying to spread himself out as much as possible.

Less than a second afterwards, Minako opened the door and came in. Her mood seemed to be even grumpier than before.

"H-hi Minako," Artemis said, trying to keep his voice normal. "How was dinner?"

Minako looked at him and put her face in a frown. "Why are you on top of my desk? You know that I don't like when you're up there."

Artemis swallowed. "I know. I'm sorry, I just..." His brain was racing to come up with something to say. "I just felt a bit hot and wanted to cool down. The temperature is much nicer here in the draft from the window."

Minako's frown deepened. "I have never heard you saying that before. You usually keep complaining that my room is too chilly. Why the sudden change?"

Artemis tried to fake a smile. "I-I don't know. Maybe I'm running a fever?"

"Really?" Minako's gaze started to become really suspicious. The events of the last day had made her even more paranoid and observant than she usually was. She suddenly moved closer to the desk. "Are you up to something?" she asked. Her voice got slightly harder.

"No, not at all!" Artemis quickly replied. He started to panic. He needed to get Minako out of the room, if only for a minute. But what could he say?

Eventually, he tried the only thing that he came up into his mind. "M-Minako, have you collected the mail? That was part of your chores for this week, and you know how angry your mother gets if you neglect that. You should probably go and do it right—"

"Why do you say that all of a sudden?" Minako interrupted him. "Why is the mail so important? You're up to something, aren't you?"

Artemis did not know what to answer. Had his fur not already been snow white, he would have looked deathly pale in the face.

"Are you lying on top of something?" Minako suddenly said and pointed at the top of the desk underneath Artemis's body. "What is that thing underneath you?"

"N-nothing," Artemis quickly. "Just some old notes."

"I had no notes on my desk," Minako said. She looked him into the eyes. "You're hiding something from me."

Artemis did not answer.

"Move away from my desk," Minako commanded him.

Panic filled Artemis's heart. "No, I feel better here!" he desperately said. He made his face as cute as he could, just like a little kitten. "Can't I please lie here for just a little longer?"

Minako remained untouched. "Okay, you can lie there as much as you want. Just move away from the desk for a moment." Her eyes pierced him mercilessly. "Or is that impossible for you to do since you are hiding what's underneath you?"

Artemis knew he had lost. He was a terrible liar, and with the long and close relationship he and Minako had had over the years he could never hide anything from her. Slowly, he rose up, still keeping his paws firmly planted on the letter.

Minako's mouth opened when she saw the white paper underneath his feet. She stared at the letter, color slowly fading from her face. "Give me that," she whispered.

Artemis stared at her, then he pressed his claws firmly down towards the letter. "No," he said. "No, Minako. I don't want to."

Waves of anger began spreading over Minako's face. "Artemis, give me the letter."

Artemis shook his head. "I don't want you to read this letter, Minako," he said with a sad voice. "Not now. Not today. Please leave this alone just for today. You can read it some other day when you—"

Minako leaned down and put her face a few inches away from the cat's face. She wheezed through her teeth. "Give. Me. The. Letter!"

Artemis was shaking. With terrified eyes, he slowly backed away from the letter.

As soon as he was off, Minako eagerly grabbed it with both of her hands. She turned around and put her back towards him as she began reading.

_Dear Miss Aino,_

_We thank you for the demo tape you sent us for our audition. We appreciate your choice of song ("Moonlight Maiden"). However, we feel that your voice is not exactly what we are looking for at this moment. We therefore regrettably have to tell you that we have chosen to not include you in our upcoming audition. We do wish to thank you for your commitment, and wish you good luck in the future._

_Best regards,  
Shinji Nakamura, Talent Manager  
Lucky Star Talent Agency_

Artemis stared at Minako in horror.

The blonde girl began convulsing.

She dropped the letter on the floor. She put her face in her hands. She breathed heavily through her nose.

"I-It is just one idol company out of thousands, Minako," Artemis desperately pleaded with a thick voice. "They're probably not professional anyway, and they don't deserve someone like you..."

"Not even... picked for the auditions..." he heard Minako whisper. Her voice had no life in it. "Not even picked for... the very first rounds..."

The blonde girl let out a scream. It struck like a dagger through Artemis's heart. It was a scream of pure agony. A scream filled with hate, anger, devastation... and complete defeat.

Minako rushed out of the room. Artemis heard the footsteps gradually fading away, then the front door slam heavily.

He dropped down on top of the desk. He buried his head in his paws and let out a long quiet whimper. Cats could technically not cry as humans could, but now he felt he was very close to.

_Poor Minako..._ he thought to himself._ You did not deserve this... You did __**not**__ deserve this..._

* * *

In a rundown café at the outskirts of town, a blonde fourteen year old sat still, looking down into the dirty surface of the table. She was almost alone in the small room, sitting quietly in the corner heavily clenching the drink in her hand.

After reading the horrible letter, Minako had run out of the house and had made her way to this café immediately. She did not know for how long she had sat here, but she did not care the slightest about that now.

She had picked this café for a very special reason. Minako had a huge list programmed into her mind with all the different cafés in the town and their respective functions and attributes. She knew all the places to go when she wanted to show off her fashion skills for others and simply be "in", she knew the places where to bring a friend when she wanted to have a private conversation, like she had done earlier today with Makoto... and then she knew places like this one. The cheap and lifeless places where no fashion-minded teen would ever go. Girls like Minako and her friends never came to places like these. That was exactly why she had come here now.

She jerked her head back in an aggressive motion and quickly indulged the remaining contents of the glass. She then slammed the piece of glass down on the table.

"Would you like another one, Miss?" the waiter asked her. Minako glared up at him. He was a man whose age was already advancing past its prime. His belly was pointing out underneath the apron, sending signs of impending overweight, and a bald spot had started to grow out on the top of his head.

"Sure," she muttered and handed him a few coins. The waiter disappeared behind the counter and came back after a few seconds with a new drink. Minako took the drink and took a deep chug. She put down the glass and let out a heavy sigh, slumping down over the table. She felt the misery pounding in her head.

_Just like a broken down rock star... _she thought to herself and let out a chuckle. Here she was on the verge of depression, drowning her sorrows in drinks. Even in her most bitter moments, it seemed she could never give up on the celebrity look.

She sighed. Who was she trying to fool, really? She was not famous. She was not some twenty-seven year old rock star in a dark room of a shabby hotel. The glass in front of her contained a soft drink and not alcohol. She was just a dumb teenage girl with delirious dreams of fame and fortune.

A dumb teenage girl that no one cared for.

"Are you feeling alright, Miss?" the waiter asked her, pathetic softness in his voice. "You look really down. Has something happened?"

Minako hissed at him. "I'm fine, thank you. I just need to be alone." She did not need any sympathy, especially not from dumb adults with no insight into a teenage girl's misery.

The waiter bowed and quickly left her alone, mumbling something about teenage girls and their problems. Minako muttered to herself. She took another chug of her drink. She felt the stinging sweetness of cheap, artificial flavors grinding her tongue and throat. Food and sweet drinks had always provided temporary comfort during her dark episodes, despite that she knew how they were not good for the body. She took another sip. She could almost feel how the synthesized calories began sticking to the inside of her belly, clogging her flesh with unhealthy fat.

With a dark look on her face she began going through the events of the past hours once again. She stared down in the glass filled with bubbling, green liquid. Artemis line kept repeating in her head. _Either you let it all go, or you confront Ami and talk about it._

She gritted her teeth. Let it all go? She had been betrayed and humiliated in front of everyone by one of her closest friends, and Artemis told her to let it go? How could he even think of such a bizarre thing!

But the other option seemed equally as unthinkable. She swallowed, and uncertainty once again filled her heart. How would she be able to confront Ami? The blue haired girl would never admit to having set Minako up, and Minako would have no support from the others. Artemis had offered to help her, something she was thankful for, but she knew that even if he was on her side, he would believe Ami's version of the story rather than her own. Everybody looked up to Ami and saw her as wise and just. They never once tried to look beneath the surface. They never saw the bitch that was hidden underneath.

Minako quickly shook her head. No, she would not go there. Ami was not a bitch. She was her friend, despite the bad thing she had done. It was true that what Ami had done to her had made her very hurt, sad and angry, but she would not drop down so low as to calling her friend a bitch. Minako took a few quick breaths through her nose trying to calm down. _She is not a bitch_, she repeated to herself in her head.

Ami was not a bitch.

She thought back to the event in the karaoke parlor. She closed her eyes.

All the scenes with Ami repeated in her mind. Her breathing got harder.

Minako clenched the glass tightly in her hand. She stared intensely at the liquid, and finally, the rage exploded inside her.

_To hell with this!_ she screamed inside her head. _Why should I not be allowed to express the full truth? Ami is a bitch! She is acting full on like a bitch! She made up a complicated plot to show me out to all my friends! That is the kind of things bitches do! That Smurf girl has acted like a total bitch in this, and I have all the right to think of her as such!_

Dark thoughts seeped into her mind. Intense anger filled her heart. This time she did not try to push it down. Instead, she took it in, embraced it, and let it fill her soul.

_It's so much in her character to do something like this! Everything she does is about showing off to others and come out as the best! It's just like when she helps us with our school work. She keeps saying she is doing it because she wants us to improve, but you can see how much satisfaction she gets from correcting us and showing off her intellectual skills! And I'm tired of the constant goody-two shoes attitude she is always showing, trying to fool everyone that she is humble. Trying to fool everybody that she is not a narcissistic brat!_

Her thoughts became darker and darker.

_I'm so sick and tired of that girl and the fact that she is so good in everything she does! No matter what she takes up she always succeeds. Cooking, dancing, school work... and singing. And I hate all the pretentiousness she has! Always having such high goals. Wanting to become a doctor at the finest hospital in Japan. It is not enough to just work in the field of medicine, no no no; it has to be a top doctor in the finest hospital of all! From straight A's in school to the most prestigious medical university in Japan, and then to a top doctor in the best hospital! She's a true show-off all the way from the cradle to the grave! Pretentious bitch!_

She let out a hiss.

_But when I talk about my dream to people, I am just a shallow, dumb blonde! It does not matter that it is the dream of my life and that I am fighting for it as everybody else fights for their dreams! It is never worth as much as the dream of becoming a doctor. It's not fair. It's bloody hell not fair! I have to work ten times as hard for the things I do, and I am not even half as successful as she is, nor do I have half the respect from people like she has! Look at me now; I cannot even get into auditions anymore! I am worthless and I have no future!_

She slumped down on the table, fighting to hold back tears. She had never felt so low before. It felt worse than any loss at any audition she had ever had. This was different than a normal defeat. This was backstabbing. She had been betrayed by one of her best friends, and her mentor and her other friends refused to believe her. They flat out refused to believe what had happened.

She stared down on the surface of the table. What was she supposed to do? What in the holy mother of God was she supposed to do?

She could not bring it up to Ami. That would mean immediate defeat. But she could not let it go either. She could never let something like that slip away and become a thing of the past.

_Either you let it all go, or you confront Ami and talk about it._ Artemis's voice was still ringing inside her head. As annoyed as she was by his statement, she knew very well that he was right. There was no other option.

A quiet buzzing woke her up from her dark trance. She looked at her communicator, then she froze when she saw the screen.

_Incoming message: Ami Mizuno_

Ami had sent her a message. And not just to her. The message had been sent out to all the other girls as well.

Why had the blue haired girl sent her a message right now at this moment? Now of all times?

With shaking hands, Minako pressed the button on the tiny device and opened the message.

_Hi all,_

_I have been thinking back to the last karaoke session we had, and I feel so bad for Minako and that she fell ill and had to leave before the karaoke was finished. Since we are off school for the whole next week, why don't we try doing another karaoke together before the weekend? I really enjoyed it last time (apart from the problems Minako had, of course), and I really want to sing with you again._

_Best wishes,  
Ami_

Minako went numb.

All color disappeared from her face.

_You... you little..._

She felt she could not breathe anymore. She kept staring at the neon blue letters on the tiny screen.

_You really want to rub it in, don't you? You won't give up until the stake is rammed completely into my heart..._

At that moment, everything clicked in her mind. All the disjointed feelings and emotional turmoil joined together and formed one solid path. A path of darkness.

_This is it, Ami. I will not take it anymore._

The waves of darkness flushed through her mind and chased away the last pieces of sense and reason.

_You want to mess with me, Ami? Fine then. This is war. You have declared war, and that's what I will give you._

She rose from her chair in one smooth motion. She put on her jacket slowly and methodically and put her things back in her purse. She then turned around and walked out of the café with steady steps. The owner yelled out a goodbye, but she did not give him a reply. The raw, cold air of the evening bit into her face as she came out on the street, but she did not even feel it. The flame of hate burnt inside of her and kept the chill away.

She walked over to the bus stop close on the street outside. A bus was just arriving as she made it to the stop, and fortunately it was the right one. The bus stopped by the sidewalk, tires screeching. Minako quickly entered the bus and moved to a seat far back. The bus took off and began riding towards its destination – the rich apartment buildings in town. The place where Ami lived.

_Either you let it all go, or you confront Ami and talk about it_, Artemis had said.

Just a minute ago, Minako had thought that both choices were equally as impossible. Now it was all crystal clear to her. She watched the world rush past her outside as the blood was pumping inside of her veins.

_I will confront you, Ami. I will confront you, and I will show you exactly how much you have made me suffer. And then... _She watched Ami's apartment building appear further down of the road.

_And then... you will suffer just like me._


	6. Chapter 6

_**A/N:**__ Big thanks to all of you who have reviewed my story so far: B4, mercuryrhapsody405, Saailor Andromeda, and James Birdsong. You rule!_

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**CHAPTER 6**

It was getting very late when Minako approached the apartment buildings.

Minako paid the fee and stepped out of the bus. The daylight had since long vanished and a light rain had started to fall. The cold darkness of the autumn evening crept up on her skin as she walked through a murky alley, slowly approaching the gorgeous, luxurious house. After reaching the end of the passageway, she stopped her pace and observed the surroundings. She breathed heavily as she looked up at the yellow lights shining from the windows of the building in front of her. The house looked like a fortress, holding the rich people inside, protecting them from the outside world.

She felt the blood pumping in her veins as she slowly made her way along the house wall, carefully approaching the main entrance. The front door was sealed with a code lock, but Ami had given the code to all the girls already from the beginning of their friendship. Minako smiled to herself as she headed for the entrance of the building. Ami would soon learn what a big mistake that was.

Then all of a sudden she saw a shadow by the front door. She gasped and quickly pressed herself against the wall, hiding in the shadow of a pillar. The cold concrete burnt against her face. She heard the door open and the sounds of high heels against asphalt.

She peeked out from her shadowy hideout, carefully making sure not to let herself be seen. She gasped when she realized who was walking through the dark night. She easily recognized the shape of the person. A woman. Tall with short hair and a straight back, walking down the street with the relaxed but majestic steps belonging to a person who knows her own worth and has found her place in life. It was Saeko Mizuno. Ami's mother.

Minako wrapped her jacket more tightly around her cold body. A sour taste filled her mouth as she saw the back of the woman disappearing among the big rows of cars in the dark parking lot. The woman's personality was just like Ami's: proud, self-centered and merciless. Like mother, like daughter. Minako's mood grew even darker.

Still, Minako felt a tingle of brutal satisfaction filling her heart. She knew that Ami's mother usually took the night shifts on weekends, but she had not been completely sure. Now that the older Mizuno had left the house, there was no one that would interfere.

There was nothing that could stop her confrontation with Ami.

Minako slid out of the shadows. She moved along the house wall, trying to stay out of sight as much as possible, constantly on the lookout for any people leaving or entering the building or walking by the house. Even though no one in the building knew her apart from Ami and her mother, she was well aware that the people in the house tried to keep track of everyone who was going in and going out. If someone who did not recognize her spotted her entering the building she would run the risk of getting stopped and asked questions.

Finally, she made it to the front door. After looking around one last time, she nervously put her hand up to the code lock device. Her fingers were shaking a bit as she started pushing in the numbers. Five, four, six, eight. Nothing happened. The panel was still blinking in red and the door was firmly shut. Minako felt panic rising in her heart. Had they changed the code? But if they had, Ami would have told all of them, wouldn't she?

She tried again. Five, four, six, eight. This time it worked. The panel beeped and lit up in green, and a loud click was heard from the door. Minako sighed in relief. She quickly pushed the door open and moved inside.

She walked through the hallway towards the elevator. She pushed the button in front of the steel doors. The elevator made a sound almost immediately and the doors slowly swung open. Minako stepped inside. Ami and her mother lived on the eighth floor. With a trembling hand, Minako pushed the button. Her view of the entrance hallway disappeared as the elevator doors slowly closed. She found herself noting that even the hallway of this building looked pompous and overly decorated; as if the people here wanted visitors of a lower social class to feel how inferior they were as soon as they stepped over the threshold.

The elevator began moving. Minako's eyes fixated on the counter showing the floors. Two, three... Every second felt like an eternity. Five, six... She felt the blood pumping in her ears.

Finally, she reached the eighth floor. A bell rang quietly and the doors swung open once again. Minako slowly stepped out of the elevator. Her gaze moved over to a door at the far end of the hallway. There was a sign on the door with the name "Mizuno" written on it in small letters.

Minako walked up to the door. Her heart was pounding heavily in her chest. This was it. It was now or never. Her hand slowly grasped the door handle. She clutched the metal bar in her hands and pushed it down.

The door opened. To her surprise and relief, Ami or her mother had not locked the door.

She slowly stepped inside the Mizuno home and carefully closed the door behind her. She stared at the huge size of the apartment. Despite having been here several times, the massive space always surprised her. It was probably three or four times the size of Makoto's place. The hallway she was standing in was dark, but there was a light coming from the kitchen at the very end of the hall. She could hear sounds coming out of the room. Ami had to be in there, possibly cooking food or doing the dishes. Minako quietly walked towards the sound, treading carefully in the darkness to make sure she did not bump into anything or made any noise.

* * *

Minako slowly entered the kitchen. Her eyes stung a bit when she came in from darkness right into the big, well lit room. Everything around her was bright and shiny. She stared at the luxurious decor, the kitchen utensils made of silver and stainless steel and the chandelier made of crystal hanging from the roof. The Mizuno family clearly had an appetite for showing off their wealth to anyone who might pay a visit to their home. Her eyes slowly moved from the posh interior and over to the other part of the room. And there, in the middle of all the glitter and elegance, was Ami. The source of her misery.

Minako watched the blue haired girl. She was standing by the sink doing the dishes and had seemingly not noticed the blonde girl's presence in the kitchen. She was holding a pot in her left hand and was wiping it with a sponge, making slow, precise circular movements with her right hand. Her eyes were fixated on the pot and radiated complete concentration.

Venom filled Minako's mind as she watched the bluenette pedantically doing her chores. The whole scene with Ami standing there, dutifully taking care of the dishes and carefully polishing every single surface of the pot, branded itself into her brain. It was as if Ami's whole being was the antithesis to Minako herself. It was as if her spirit was mocking Minako's very existence.

Ami lifted the pot up and held it in front of her, apparently finished with cleaning it. She inspected it in different angles and eventually smiled confidently, satisfied with the result.

_Just look at her,_ Minako thought silently to herself. _All pedantic and professional, just like in everything she does._ She tied her fist heavily. _Everything she does is a symbol of mockery against someone else. She is like a sun that blinds everybody around her. It's like she was born to make other people feel inferior..._

In that second, she hated everything Ami was and everything she stood for. The vision of the blue haired girl standing in front of her was digging holes in her soul. Every single pore in Minako's body ached when she stared at the water princess.

She could not take it anymore. She took a step forward and finally revealed her existence.

"Good evening."

Ami made a scream and jumped backwards when she heard Minako's voice. She dropped the pot into the sink out of surprise. Loud noise filled the air as metal struck metal and water splashed all around the sink area.

Ami quickly turned around to where the voice had come from. "Oh my God, Minako! You..." Ami panted, holding a hand on her chest. "You really scared me..."

Minako did not answer.

Ami picked up the pot and quickly wiped it clean again. She then put it into the dish rack to dry. Her hands were shaking and her movements were nowhere near the relaxed and careful motions she had displayed just a few seconds ago. Once done with the pot, she turned back to Minako and gave a nervous smile. "You know, Minako, of course you can come over to my place anytime you wish. But maybe you could have made a call first, or at least knocked on the door. You really made me jump, you know."

"Did I make you jump?" Minako said with an emotionless voice.

"Yes... I was surprised..." Ami quickly replied. "I mean, I was really surprised... really shocked, to be honest..." Ami looked like she did not know what to say. She gave off another nervous smile and watched Minako with her blue eyes. "Is something the matter? Can I get you anything?" she asked politely.

Minako bent her neck slightly. A tiny smile spread over her lips. "You look nervous, Ami. Are you feeling uncomfortable having me here?"

Ami gave off another smile, a little weaker this time. "Nervous? No... Why would I be nervous?"

"You're not nervous?" Minako replied. "That's strange to hear, because you surely look like you are."

A shade of insecurity spread over Ami's face. "Why did you come here to my place tonight, anyway? And at this hour?"

Minako took a few steps over to the kitchen table. She picked up a silver figurine lying on top of it and watched it as she held it in her hands. Her gaze moved back to Ami as she replied in a low, monotone voice: "I am just a friend visiting an old friend. Have you got a problem with that? Are you not happy to see me?"

Ami tried to smile again, but her lips were starting to tremble a bit. "Of course I am happy to see you, Minako. I will always be."

Minako's gaze moved around over all the pricy artifacts of the room and then back to the figurine she was holding in her hand. She let out a sigh. "Look at all these expensive things. Gold, silver, crystal... and this is only in the kitchen area." She turned her head to Ami. "You really enjoy showing off your wealth to others, don't you?"

Ami opened her mouth slightly, surprised over Minako's sudden choice of topic. "Why do you ask that? That's... that's my mum who likes to decorate the house with these things..." she mumbled. "Personally I don't care for all that... I never wanted to show off to anyone..."

Minako stared at her for a long moment without saying anything. Her eyes started tensing up. Then her mouth pulled up into a grin. She changed her voice into a high pitched squeal: "I never wanted to show off to anyone."

Ami gasped and put a hand to her mouth. Minako continued speaking, now adding Ami's shaky movements to her acting. "Look at me, I'm the neat and tidy Ami Mizuno, and I am always innocent. I have never done a bad thing in my whole life. My spirit is pure as snow."

Ami swallowed. She then lifted her hands towards Minako and tried to give a friendly smile, not succeeding very well. "Minako... what's the matter? That's not a nice thing to say." She let out a cough. "You know, you look a bit rugged, as if something is troubling you. Is something the matter? Do you want to talk, or can I help you with something?" Her voice increased in tempo and she seemed to stumble a bit over the words in her attempt to handle the situation. "Minako, please let me ask... how have you been these days? Are you feeling alright? We were shocked when you ran away from the karaoke last time. Did you see my text message, by the way?"

Minako's grin slowly disappeared. Something hard came into her eyes and she pressed her jaws together. "Stop it, Ami."

"I'm sorry?"

Minako put the silver figurine down on the table again. "Stop pretending you are unaware, Ami, and stop pretending that you care about me. I'm tired of your charades."

Ami looked confused. "What is that supposed to mean...?"

Minako took a step closer to Ami. The blue haired girl shifted her weight between her feet, looking rather uncomfortable. Minako looked her deep in the eyes. "There is only one reason you are so stressed out right now, and that's because you did not expect that I would come here. You are nervous because..." she made a little pause and then her voice turned into a venomous growl. "...this was not part of the plan."

Ami stared at Minako with her big blue eyes. "'Part of the plan'? I'm sorry, I'm not sure I understand..."

Minako's face tensed up even more and her eyes pierced the blue haired girl intensely. "Stop acting, Ami. I'm tired of your games. I'm tired of being the victim of your manipulations."

Ami's eyes filled with nervousness. "I-I'm sorry, Minako, I don't know what you're talking about. You—"

Minako had had enough. All the pent up anger inside of her finally burst out. "You know bloody well what I am talking about!" she shouted at the blue haired girl.

Ami took a big step backwards as if she had taken a punch to the face. She stared at Minako with wild, terrified eyes, like an animal trapped in a corner.

Minako pointed her finger at the other girl. "Don't you think I understand what you're doing!" she hissed. "Don't you think I see the scheme you're pulling off! You cunning, lying, manipulative little brat! You push my face down in the dirt just like that, and then you _still_ have the guts to stand here in front of me claiming you don't know what I'm talking about!"

Ami had her back close to the wall. "M-Minako, I don't... I don't understand..."

Minako took another step towards the blue haired girl, who gasped and pressed her back even closer to the wall. Minako was only one or two inches taller than Ami, but it still gave her an advantage. "Let me tell you then if it is so hard for you to understand!" she shouted at the other girl. She pointed her finger in Ami's face and hissed: "The bloody karaoke! The event where you orchestrated your whole little operation against me!"

Ami's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. "W-What..."

"Stop playing dumb! You know what I'm talking about!" Hints of tears started to form in Minako's eyes. "You stepped up right before me and sang my song! You stole my song right in front of my nose and let me stand there humiliated and ashamed! In front of _everyone_! Even Usagi's classmates! It's not nice! It's bloody hell not nice!"

Ami shook her head wildly. "That's not tru—"

"And that text message too!" Minako cut her off. "Not only did you want to stick a knife in my heart at the karaoke, you also had to rub salt in my wounds by writing that text message, sending a copy to everyone else as well!"

"I was just worried about how you were feeli—"

Minako did not let her finish. She was now almost screaming. "Shut up! You were not worried about me! It was part of the big project! You planned, rehearsed and executed the whole damn thing against me! That was the lowest thing you've ever done, Ami! You know it's my dream! And still you do such a low thing against me!"

As Minako had begun roaring at her, Ami had closed her eyes and put her hands up in front of her. She was now shaking with her head turned away. "P-please Minako... don't scream at me..." she whispered.

The blue haired girl had grown and matured a lot since they had first met her. She had overcome most of her social phobias. But there was one thing that she still had problems with: she could not handle massive rage from the ones close to her. She freaked out whenever her loved ones screamed her right in the face. And this was something that Minako now used against her.

"Shut up!" Minako shouted once again. She was shaking from the tremendous amount of wrath that had built up inside of her over the last day. "And look at you now! You don't even have the guts to admit what you have done! You're just a little liar, and you've been since day one!"

Ami looked like she was about to cry. "Minako, you're frightening me..."

Ami's pleading did not affect Minako the slightest. She took a step back and watched the convulsing girl. "What a little coward," she said with contempt in her voice. "You can play your part when you're cooking up schemes against people or when you have your little gizmos in battle, but you cannot handle a direct confrontation with one of your friends." Minako suddenly slammed her hand into the kitchen table. Ami flinched heavily from the sudden, loud noise. "Just look at you!" Minako said with an evil giggle. "Just a little sound like that makes you all jumpy. Anything that comes out of the blue. Anything that is not part of the plan. Is that the brave Sailor scout Ami Mizuno? Is that the brave soldier we all know?"

Minako chuckled. Ami looked down in the ground, eyes filled with both fear and humiliation.

"But that's not very surprising, is it?" Minako continued and raised an eyebrow. "A girl like you, who has always been part of the socialite and has always been spoiled and pampered, is not used to getting caught up in a mess. People like you are always having others doing your dirty work and taking the blame whenever something goes wrong. That's the kind of life you like to live: in the background, pulling the strings and stepping on people's faces!"

Ami looked up at her in shock.

"Oh yes, I am going to tell you exactly what you are," Minako hissed, the wolf-like grin back on her face. "You're nothing more than a spoiled little elitist brat who wants to outshine everybody else no matter what the cost. You're cynical, cold hearted and cruel, and you always kiss the feet of the teachers and adults to make them protect you and work for you!"

Ami stared at Minako. Fear and betrayal shone in her eyes. "Minako... How can you say such a thing?" she said weakly.

"Because it's the truth!" Minako roared. "You took up this big song project only because you wanted the praise from the others and let me taste defeat! It didn't matter that you are not that interested in singing for real, no no – defeating me, that was what you wanted. And you succeeded. Congratulations, Ami. I bet it felt good seeing me break down, didn't it?"

Ami shook her head slowly. "I would never—"

"—and taking vocal lessons was no problem either, right?" Minako continued. "An ordinary kid like me could never afford going to the finest vocal coaches in town. I have had to practice myself at home through blood, sweat and tears. But for a spoiled little girl like you it was no problem at all, was it? You probably just asked your mother – the rich doctor – to pay for you, and that was all. That's what you get when you're born with a silver spoon in your mouth, right, Ami?" Minako held out her hands and looked around the kitchen once again. "Just look at this pretentious decoration. It makes me sick. You only live for showing off your upper class lifestyle. Expensive clothes, pretentious lunch boxes... even the damn pens you use when writing tests in class are of the most expensive brand! What kind of behavior is that, really?"

Ami was trembling. She stared at the ground without saying anything.

"I'm so sick of you and the perfect life you are living! Your grades, your body, your luck, everything!" Minako was quivering from anger. "I am sick of always being the one with bad luck, and that you should always come out with the winning ticket! I have been forced to pull out of idol auditions in the last minute just because some acne popped up on my forehead the day before! I have to struggle every day to maintain my weight and figure! But I have _never_ seen you having to do those things! Never! You never get a single spot in your smooth, silky face! You sit on your ass reading books every day, but you never gain a single kilo! It's not fair, and I'm sick of it!"

Ami shook her head again. Tears had formed in her eyes, and they were on the verge of running down her cheek. "Minako, why... why are you doing this?" she said quietly with a thick voice, still staring down in the ground. "You disappear from the karaoke... you come home to me late at night... and you're being emotionally abusive towards me... If I hurt you, I'm sorry for that... I never meant to do anything..."

"Don't stand there feeling sorry for yourself just after having done such things against me," Minako said harshly. She quickly lifted her hand to point a finger at Ami. The sudden movement made Ami flinch and take a step back with her hands in front of her, something that made Minako smile. "God damn what a chicken you are!" she said. "Do you think I am going to hit you? Do you think I am going to start acting like a brute, doing bitch slaps and pulling hair?" Then her smile vanished and coldness filled her eyes again. "But I do have to say that you really deserve a thrashing after what you have done, if fair should be fair. Fortunately for you, I don't do such things against a friend – or should I perhaps say, a _former_ friend?"

Ami stared down in the floor, completely devastated. For a while, the only thing that could be heard was Minako's heavy breathing.

After a few moments, her breathing subsided and came under control. The red in her face slowly faded and was replaced with a cold aura of apathy. She moved over to Ami's side and spoke quietly. "Do you want to know how it feels being stepped on by someone close to you, Ami? Do you really want to know?"

Ami did not say anything. She kept staring down.

Minako moved closer to the frightened girl. She opened her mouth and started talking, with a voice smooth as honey: "It is difficult having parents who divorced, isn't it? It must feel absolutely terrible being the child of two parents who couldn't keep it together."

Ami's head jerked up. She stared at Minako.

Minako nodded at her friend. "Imagine being the product of two human beings who discovered that all their heated emotions for each other were just one big lie. Imagine being the result of that pairing. A pairing that was never meant to last, that never was something more than a temporary selfish burst of lust."

Ami's face tensed up. Terror crept into her eyes.

"That is you, Ami," Minako growled. "You're the last remaining artifact of the big lie that your parents once created. Your parents hate each other, and if it wasn't for you, they would wish they had never met. You are the link between your parents that force them to keep contact, the one that force them to live in the past that torments them."

Ami's face had slowly turned white. "Stop..." she whispered. "You cannot..."

Minako's voice was ice cold. "Imagine all the late nights when your mother came home exhausted from the hospital and had to deal with a little baby girl who kept crying through the whole night, taking away the few precious hours of sleep she could have had. Imagine every time she looks at that girl and is forced to see the traits and characteristics inherited from the man she wishes she had never married."

Tears began running down from Ami's eyes. "Stop it... Stop it. You must not... You cannot say that. You know you cannot say those things. I..."

"I know both your mum and dad want to start over again with new lives. Imagine if your mum would find a new man and your dad would find a new woman. They would start new families. Families that would stay together. And imagine..." Minako smiled. "Imagine if they would have new children. Yeah, your parents are a little older now, I know, but the fertility science has been doing wonders over the last decade."

Ami began convulsing. She clutched her head with her hands, pulling at her blue hair. "Stop! Sto-op! You're wrong! That wouldn't happen!"

"Oh yes, Ami, it happens," Minako said with faked sweetness. "It could very well happen. Imagine that on one sunny day you might find yourself with a cute little half brother and a sweet little half sister. Imagine how your mother hugs her new child – her child of _love_ – together with her new husband, and how your dad does the same with his respective. Two new families, united in eternal love, determined to not make the same mistake again... and then you... alone. No real family. No real home. A pointless existence."

Ami kneeled down on the floor, powerless. She buried her face in her palms and let out a whimper.

Minako's voice turned cold again. "You keep a happy face for everyone, don't you, Ami? You smile to your parents and say that you want them to do whatever makes them happy. But deep inside, you're hurting, aren't you? The scenario I just talked about – your parents starting new families – that is your worst nightmare, isn't it? Deep inside, your biggest fear is that they will find new loved ones and move on without you. And to be completely honest... deep inside, you think of yourself as damaged goods, don't you? Deep inside, you know that all I just said about you is a hundred percent true."

Ami was shaking with her face in her hands. "No!" she whimpered. "Noooo!"

Minako put her hair behind her shoulder and looked down at the other girl with a victorious grin on her face. "_My_ family is not perfect, I know. We give each other hell every now and then. But deep down, we still love each other, and we would never want to separate. No matter how many fights we have, no matter how many tears, no matter how many slammed doors, we will always be together. Every celebration, every special event – it is always us. Together, as a _family_. That's more than can be said about you and your parents. What do you have to deal with on those special holidays? Every hanami, every tanabata festival, every New Year's eve gathering... you have to pick one parent or the other. Stay with mommy this year and break daddy's heart. Stay with daddy this year and break mommy's heart."

Ami was not talking anymore. She was kneeling down in a big pile on the floor, shaking. A loud, constant whimper poured out of her mouth.

Minako watched the other girl. Darkness filled her eyes as she went in for one final blow. "Do you know what your mother is up to right now, by the way?" she said with a gritty voice. "Do you think she is at the hospital? Maybe she is, or maybe she's not? Perhaps she is on a secret date. Perhaps she is meeting some handsome stranger who makes her heart bubble like it did once fourteen years ago?"

Ami had no more strength left. She whimper increased in volume and she began crying, sobbing heavily into her hands.

Minako exhaled deeply, emptying her lungs of the last of the air after her final utterance. Her shoulders slumped down and the grin on her face faded. The adrenaline that had rushed inside her body was vanishing, and suddenly she felt so exhausted.

For some reason she felt tears burning behind her eyes – probably as a result of finally letting out all the stress and rage inside of her – and in a matter of moments, she felt them streaming down her cheeks. Through the blur of tears, she watched the blue haired girl who was sitting in a shaking, sobbing mess on the floor.

She crouched down next to Ami. The blue haired girl continued sobbing, not giving any reaction. Minako spoke quietly close to her ear. "Now you know how I felt," she said bitterly. "Now you know how it feels when someone close breaks you." She sniffed and wiped her cheek with hand. "Let this be a lesson for you for the future, Ami. Don't bite off more than you can chew."

She slowly stood up, turned around and walked out of the apartment, leaving the blue haired girl on the floor.


	7. Chapter 7

_**A/N:**__ Thanks again to all of you who have reviewed the past chapter: James Birdsong, FieryIce, Siramad, Yin for Yang, WeirdRaptor, B4, and the guest! I am very happy for all reviews I get! However, you must know that I cannot reply to you personally if you review without having an account. If you do have an account but don't want to reveal it publicly, you can always send a PM to me. I will not spread your info to anyone._

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**CHAPTER 7**

It was 10:30 pm at the Mizuno residence, one hour after Minako had rushed out of the house. The apartment was dark and quiet, and apart from a clock ticking lonely on the wall, the only sounds came from deep inside. The four girls were currently in the living room. Three of them were sitting on the sofa. The fourth one, a tall, brown haired girl with a pony tail, walked restlessly around on the floor.

They had all received a message from Ami about the events that just taken place. The girl had sounded completely devastated and her friends had been really shocked. They had immediately left their homes and made their way over to Ami's place to give their support to their broken down friend. The three girls all dealt with the shock and the anger over Minako's abuse in their own personal ways.

Ami was sitting in the middle of the couch, surrounded by Rei and Usagi, one girl on each side. The water princess's eyes were red and swollen, and her head hung down. She was still shaking. Rei held her hand, talking softly to her. Usagi herself was crying. She looked even more devastated than Ami.

"Please try to relax, Ami." Rei's voice was calm and controlled as usual, but also had plenty of softness in it. "We are here for you. We will not leave your side until you are fine again, and then we will all solve this."

"Th-thanks, Rei," Ami said. She looked up at her three friends. "I'm sorry for holding you all up like this at such a late hour; I was just so horrified by—"

"Shhh..." Rei said, gently stroking her hair. "No need to apologize. It is in your right to feel broken at a time like this, and it is our duty to take care of you."

"It really means a lot to me..." Ami mumbled. "Mum is so busy at the hospital, and she will not be done until long after midnight, so I had no one else to turn to..."

"Oh, Ami! We will always be there for you!" Usagi sniffed. "Even if it means I have to sneak out of my house and risk getting grounded if my parents find out."

Ami looked a bit guilty. "You really did not have to do that, Usagi," she said. "I understand that Makoto and Rei probably wouldn't have too many problems going out this late, but I do not want you to risk anything."

Rei shook her head. "It's okay. Don't think about it. I'm sure Usagi's parents would understand even if they found out." She took a tissue from the box on the table and softly wiped the tears out of Ami's eyes. "Let's wipe the tears from those eyes, yes, there we go..." She then glanced at the weeping Usagi and frowned. "...and stop using up all the tissues, Usagi! You have no reason for crying like that. Ami is the one who has been hurt, not you, and I brought the tissues here for her sake!"

"But I feel so sad for Ami!" Usagi sniffed. "I can't help crying when something bad happens to my friends."

She took another tissue and blew her nose loudly. Rei rolled her eyes and went back to comforting Ami. There was really no use in trying to talk any sense into Usagi. The girl with the two giant pigtails was so emotional that she always shared the pain with her friends no matter what the situation. The only problem was that she took the phrase "share the pain" a little too seriously. Rei was very much the opposite. When things went out of control, she always tried to keep her focus and stay rational. Unfortunately for her, that meant that she also had to tend to Usagi as well.

Makoto was not focusing on the people sitting on the couch. She was slowly walking around back and forth on the floor. The anger and rage radiated from her body and she was struggling to keep control of herself.

"That egocentric, insensitive little..." she mumbled to herself under her breath. "She has done bad things before, but this... this is way too far..." She clutched her fist with her other hand and made a cracking sound with her knuckles.

"I never thought Mina would do something like this," Usagi whimpered.

"Yes, I still find it hard to grasp that she could do such a thing," Rei said. "She can be very moody and impulsive, yes, but doing something this extreme is unusual for her."

Makoto was still fuming. She held up her fist and gritted her teeth. "She will apologize. I _will_ make her apologize. I will look for her and find her, and then she will really get it! She'll wish that she had never been born again!"

"Will you hit her?"

Makoto woke up from her raging trance and looked over to the couch. The raven haired miko was looking her right in the eyes.

Makoto looked down in the floor and felt her cheeks redden, aware that everybody was staring at her. "No, Rei..." she said with a sigh. "Of course I will not hit her or anything like that. I just lost my temper a little bit..." Then she looked up again. She closed her eyes, seemingly fighting with herself to get the rational thoughts back. "...but I will sure as hell drag her back to us and make sure she apologizes to Ami. I will not let her go on this one. I will not."

The miko nodded slightly in confirmation and went back dealing with Ami.

Makoto sighed again and walked out of the room. She needed to be alone with her thoughts. She had never been good with keeping her feelings inside of her, and she did not want to put any weight on the shoulders of her friends.

* * *

She came out in the kitchen. The room was lit only with a dim light from a lamp standing in the window. She heard the buzzing from the refrigerator and the clock's ticking. She could still hear the sounds of the other girls coming through the wall. The kitchen was neatly cleaned, almost pedantic. Everything in Ami's home was in this style: planned and controlled. Makoto could almost swear that the distance between the plants in the window was carefully and equally measured. As true as it was that Makoto favored clean and well-decorated homes, she had always felt that there was something sterile and lifeless over the apartment the Mizuno family lived in. It was almost as if Ami's mother had somehow brought the spirit of her workplace back to her home. Makoto shivered a little inside. This environment was not healthy for a teenage girl.

She walked over to the whiteboard hanging on the wall – the one Ami and her mother used to communicate with each other when they could not meet in person. The whiteboard was empty right now, but Makoto could see the remains of previous messages that had been only partially erased. She felt a bit of sadness when she thought of how many lonely nights Ami must have had during the years. And today, during one of those lonely nights, her close friend had come over and crushed her feelings just like that. Ami had probably felt happy at first getting a visit from Minako. And then...

She fidgeted with her pony tail. Should she tell the others about the conversation she had had with Minako? In a way, she felt that the other girls had the right to know, and after all, the sudden change in Minako's behavior was probably very confusing for them without the context. At the same time, Makoto felt very bad about breaking a promise. She had promised Minako not to tell anyone about their little meeting, and regardless of how angry she was at the blonde girl now, a promise was still a promise...

Makoto closed her eyes and tried to calm herself down and think with a clear mind. No. She could not tell the others about the conversation. She would not break a promise. She was very angry at the blonde girl, and she felt it was in her total right to find her, scold her and make her apologize to Ami for what she had done. But breaking a promise was not fair. She refused to do something that low to her friend. She would be no better than Minako if she did.

After reasoning a bit with herself, her anger started to be replaced with sadness and hopelessness. Alright... she had to admit it. She felt sorry for Minako, even if the blonde brat did not deserve it. The princess of love was so obsessed and sensitive with her struggle to become a pop singer. She always tried her hardest, and a rejection always stabbed her right in the heart. Makoto knew that beneath that sunny smile and those flirty looks, Minako was not as confident in herself as one first thought. She probably had not meant what she had said to Ami, whatever it may have been. It had probably been one of those emotional outbursts that she had tossed at Makoto earlier today. Most likely, she was now sitting alone somewhere, sobbing and regretting what she had done.

The thing was, Minako had actually tried to reach out to her. Minako had asked for a talk with Makoto, and she had agreed. She had done her best to listen to Minako and try to see her perspective of things. But in the end, it had all fallen apart. Even though Minako had not behaved very well during their talk, Makoto could not escape the fact that it was maybe partly her fault. She had lost her temper and had become very verbal about Minako's character, scolding her and judging her harshly. She should have known that it would only lead to disaster. She could have waited until Minako had calmed down before bringing up the topic of her personality. But that was how she and Minako were. It always happened when they got into an argument...

Still, they could not ignore what Minako had done to Ami. Not this time. Makoto sighed. The girls had accepted Minako's occasional outbursts and tantrums, and had learnt over time not to take them too seriously. But this was different. Minako had crossed the line. She had given Ami a very low blow and they needed to deal with her. Makoto did not like to admit it, but they had to mark clearly for Minako that she could not behave like this. If they wanted to function as a group, let alone keeping their unity and duty as a Sailor scout team, everybody had to behave properly and treat each other with respect.

"Makoto, are you there?"

Makoto woke up from her thoughts, alerted by the sudden voice from Rei.

"Yeah, what is it?" she replied without turning around.

"Are you in the kitchen? Could you please bring some kitchen towels or any kind of paper that is in there? I'm afraid Usagi has used up all tissues for herself." Rei's voice sounded more than mildly irritated when she said the last sentence.

"Gee, I didn't mean to..." Usagi's whiny voice said. Makoto put a hand to her face.

"Wait, it's okay," Ami said, her voice still a bit thick from all the tears. "It's no danger. There are some in my purse. In the hallway. You can bring them all. Don't worry."

"Yes, just a minute!" Makoto said.

She left the kitchen and walked out to the entrance hall. The hallway was equally as clean and well-arranged as the rest of the house. The shoes of the Mizuno family stood at the side in a neat and straight line, accompanied by the shoes of Rei and Makoto. What stood out of the whole picture were, of course, Usagi's shoes. Her pink, small shoes with pictures of white rabbits were tossed to the side in a corner of the room. Makoto frowned. With her sense of cleanliness going on auto-pilot, she took Usagi's shoes and put them next to her own.

After quickly looking around, she found Ami's purse standing on a small table. It was made of black leather and looked more like a purse of an office worker than one of a teenage girl. Makoto smiled sadly.

She opened the purse. She was surprised by the amount of items it held. Fair enough that Ami was very organized and always had a lot of things going on, but did one really need to carry all these things? She made big eyes when she saw an object that looked like items a dentist would use – a small mirror on a long, thin stick. Why on earth would Ami need this?

Oh yes, the tissues. She took another look in the purse, and found what she was looking for. Tucked in deep down in the corner of the bag was some white, fluffy material. Makoto pulled out the lump of paper. Yep, there were the tissues alright, mixed up with several small slips of paper. Receipts, to do-lists, small various notes... typical of Ami. Makoto put all the paper on a small table in the hall in order to sort out the tissues from the rest of the slips.

A note fell out of the tissue heap and down on the floor. Makoto reached down and took it up. She was just about to put it back on the table, when something on the note caught her attention.

She stiffened. Slowly, she put back the tissues on the table with her other hand. She held up the note directly underneath the hallway light and read it more closely.

RECEIPT:  
SONGBIRD PRODUCTIONS

ITEM: 6 x 2 hours

Makoto stared at the note.

There was no name or detailed information on the receipt, but on the lower half there was a list of six separate dates.

The dates were all from this week and last week. Next to each date, the short phrase "2 hours" was written.

Makoto felt something in her stomach.

A voice cut through the air. "Makoto! Are you coming or what? I really need those tissues! Usagi is trying to drown me with her tears!"

"I said I was sorry!"

Makoto gasped. "C-coming!" she said.

She looked at the receipt one last time. At the end of the receipt were a logo and an address. She quickly glanced at the address and immediately recognized it. It was the location of Ami's cram school.

Makoto noted down the information in her mind. She quickly put the receipt and all the other notes back in Ami's purse. She then took the pile of tissues and went back to the living room.

* * *

_**A/N:**__ I apologize that this chapter was a little shorter than the previous ones. On the plus side, however, I will post next chapter much sooner than usual, so stay tuned!_


	8. Chapter 8

_**A/N:**__ Thanks again to everyone who has reviewed so far, including the two new people since last chapter (Kayla Tsukino and LordOfTheAndain). It makes me so happy!_

* * *

**CHAPTER 8**

**Monday**

Makoto walked on the sidewalk on her way home. The day had felt very slow and tedious, and despite that this was the first day of their week off school, Makoto had not done much more than making a few errands during the day. She had not met up with any of her friends. They had all wanted to let Ami get a bit of a rest so that she could get her emotions under control, and it had felt unfair to meet up alone without their blue haired friend. Ami's original plan had been to take some cram school session during the upcoming week – despite that their ordinary school was closed – but her friends had urged her not to and had instead told her to take one or two days off to relax. Ami had protested a little about skipping school, but her friends had insisted, and eventually she had relented, admitting that she had indeed felt a bit of fatigue lately.

Last night had worked out quite well in the end. After giving Ami enough comfort and support, the girl had finally calmed down somewhat and had felt relaxed enough that she could get some rest for the night and that her friends could safely leave her alone until her mother would come home.

Makoto walked down the road and came to the center area of the town. She was just about to go to the crossing where she had to go in order to head home. Then suddenly she stopped. She skipped a bit to the side to avoid blocking the path of other people walking on the sidewalk. She looked at a big building further down the street.

It was Ami's cram school. Makoto always passed by here on her way home. It was usually the place where she and Ami split for the day, Makoto going home and Ami going for her evening lessons.

Makoto looked at the school. A frown appeared on her forehead.

She had not told anyone about the receipt she had found in Ami's bag. She had quickly put it back with all the other notes and had then taken all the tissues back into the living room. As the evening had passed, Makoto had been occupied with taking care of Ami and had not been thinking a lot about what she had found.

But as she saw the school buildings, the memories of the receipt came into her mind again. She chewed her lip lightly.

Should she go there and check? Would it really be okay to just go in there and ask a few questions? She knew very well that it was a risk entering a school where she was not a student, and somehow she also felt bad for snooping into Ami's private life.

Then on the other hand, it was not like she was breaking into a bank vault or something. She was only going to ask a few questions to some of the people working there. Could that really be a bad thing?

After some thinking, Makoto eventually decided to go over to the school. She quickly turned around and made her way through the big mass of people. After zig zagging through the crowd for a while, she finally made her way to the front area of the school buildings.

She felt a knot in her stomach as she gazed up on the huge building. It was indeed an impressive work of architecture. It almost looked like a mansion or like a fortress towering over the people in the garden in the front. This was one of Azabu-Juuban's most prestigious cram schools. The cram school for the elite – the blessed, gifted and talented. The boys and girls who were destined to go out in society and do great careers.

Makoto slowly walked through the front doors of the main entrance. She entered a small hallway section where a guard was sitting inside a booth, monitoring the people that entered and exited. Makoto felt a bit nervous. She wondered if the guard would stop her or just let her through. She was aware that she not wearing her school uniform, but fortunately, this was a cram school that accepted any student from any school as long as they could pay the fees for their lessons. It was likely that they did not even have rules for having school uniforms. She decided to just walk forward and see what would happen.

When she approached the doors, the guard spoke up: "Excuse me, Miss. I need to ask what business you have here."

Makoto froze. She quickly turned her head to the left and faced the guard. He was looking at her with stern, brown eyes. A thick glass wall was separating her and him from each other.

The thoughts were racing in her brain. What was she supposed to say? She had never been at this school before, and she did not know any people of the staff, nor any of the faculties. Panic started to fill her body. Then she suddenly came up with an idea. She took a deep breath and did her best to fake a smile. "Oh, I... I have an appointment here. A class. It starts soon."

The guard watched her with his cold, analytical eyes. "What subject? And for what faculty or organization?"

Makoto took a breath. This was the only chance she could take. "I have class with Songbird Productions."

To her surprise and relief, the guard nodded. "I see. Songbird Productions is on the fifth floor. Use the board by the elevators to see the exact location of the classroom."

The guard pointed over to the elevators inside the building, then he took lost interest of her and continued watching the entrance doors. Makoto sighed quietly of relief and quickly walked inside the main hall.

She finally came into the huge entrance hallway of the school. Her eyes opened wide when she saw how big and luxurious the building was on the inside. This was truly a fashionable place. Even with Makoto's well-developed senses, she could not detect a single spot of dust or any item out of place.

Makoto felt very uncomfortable with all the impressions. She never felt at home in places like these. The cleanliness and luxury was one thing, but the people here were a whole different deal. She looked at all the upper class kids walking through the area. They strolled around the corridors, chattering constantly like normal young teenagers. But they were not talking about music and makeup. No, these kids discussed chemistry, mathematical problems, and the speed of light. Makoto did not understand anything of what they were saying. And they all looked beautiful. The girls were slender and had soft and stylish faces. Typical signs of upper class people who never did any intense physical exercise, who never got their hands dirty from cleaning and baking, and who had never fought physically with their fellow classmates in the school yard. Makoto swallowed. She felt like a dumb, clumsy giant here among the socialite.

She slowly made her way over to the elevators. She nervously looked around her, hoping that her true nature would not shine through her facade: how poor her academic skills really were, and the violent, miserable life she had been living before moving to Azabu-Juuban and meeting her new friends. She shook her head in irritation. _Get a grip of yourself, Makoto! No one is staring at you._

Once she had reached the elevators, she looked at the big board showing the floor map and a list of all the faculties and organizations. She looked at the section covering the fifth floor and scanned the board register for the letter "S". Eventually, she found what she was looking for.

Songbird Productions. Room 542.

Okay, at least she had confirmed that Songbird Productions indeed had a classroom here. She straightened her back and walked inside the elevator. She pressed button number five. The doors slowly closed.

As the elevator began moving, Makoto began feeling anxious. She fought to get her breath under control. Truth to be told, she was not sure of her own feelings at the moment. In fact, she was starting to doubt that it had been a good idea coming here after all. She felt guilty for what she was doing. Sneaking inside the cram school of one of her best friends and trying to check up on her activities behind her back was not a good thing to do. And it was not her way. This was leaning towards cowardice.

She had always favored the direct approach. Looking people right in the eyes and confronting them. All cards on the table from the start. But this was different. She was in a situation she had never been before.

What was that receipt all about? And why had it been in Ami's purse? Makoto felt confused. There probably was a logical explanation. There could be plenty of reasons for Ami to have it in her purse, and the receipt did not have Ami's name on it. Still, it had felt very strange finding that note in Ami's bag.

A bell rang inside the elevator and the doors opened. Makoto walked out into the corridor of the fifth floor. This floor was equally as well decorated as the entrance hall, with blue carpets covering the floors and plenty of plants and paintings on the walls. As she made her way towards room 542, another wave of guilt struck her, and she felt like she was almost choking. She stopped and fought with herself for a while. Eventually, she forced her breath under control. _Knock it off, Makoto! You haven't done anything bad_, she told herself.

That's right. She was only checking things out. She was not a snoop or a traitor. She was not some tabloid journalist out to find incriminating material that would nail down her close friend. The only purpose of her being here was to clear up some confusion.

_Evidence!_ she thought to herself. _That's right! Evidence. Remember what Ami and Luna have always told us. You cannot make a conclusion until you have evidence. I will only check things out. I will see what comes up. Until then, I will remain neutral. I will not jump to conclusions._

She closed her eyes at took a few controlled breaths. She felt a little better. She started walking again and eventually found room 542.

* * *

She found herself in a small but well-decorated room. A grand piano stood in the corner and various instruments were hanging from the walls. There were all kinds of instruments – acoustic guitars, violins, and some trumpet-like brass devices that she did not know the name of. There was no doubt this was a room used by musicians.

In the middle of the room sat a man. He looked like he was in his early thirties. He had shoulder length black hair and wore unusually casual clothing, which contrasted against the otherwise very formal interior of the school. He was changing the strings of a guitar. Makoto watched how his hands smoothly tied the new string to the screws. He then began picking the string with his finger while gradually screwing on the tuning knob. The string gave off a sound that quickly increased in pitch for every time the man turned the tuning knob, showing that the grip on the string tightened.

Makoto could not help admiring him. His hands were really beautiful and they worked with such skill. She had always had an eye for people who were good at doing things with their hands, and she had a lot of skills herself in several of these fields, but playing a music instruments had never been her thing. She felt very awkward in this artistic environment. She just stood still by the door without saying a word.

Finally, the man noticed her. He put the guitar down and stood up. He gave a big smile and walked towards her.

"Hi there, young lady! Is it something you want?" he said and looked her into the eyes.

Makoto felt her cheeks getting warm. He was indeed very good looking despite being much older than her. As he stood right next to her, she realized that she was as tall as he was – a feeling she was very familiar with – and it once again made her feel big and dumb.

"No, I... Sorry for barging in. I did not mean to disturb you..." she mumbled, looking away.

"No problem at all," the man said and smiled. "I am not busy at the moment. Are you looking for something?"

Makoto looked at the man. He was very charming and sweet. When looking more closely, she felt that he reminded her of her former boyfriend. Then she quickly shook those thoughts out of her head. There was no time for this. She took a breath and cleared her mind of any feelings. She looked into the man's eyes and began stating her errand. "No, sorry about that. My name is Makoto Kino. I came here because I wanted to ask some questions."

It came out a lot more direct and forceful than she had wanted. She hoped she had not insulted him.

But the man only smiled and bowed lightly. "Pleased to meet you, Miss Kino!" he said. "My name is Ichiro Yamazaki. How can I help you?"

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Yamazaki," Makoto answered and bowed back to him, eager to make up for her previous bluntness. "I am sorry for holding you up. It will only take a minute."

"No problem, no problem," Yamazaki said. "Come in, by the way. No need to stand there by the doorway."

"Thank you," Makoto said with a smile. She stepped inside the room together with the man.

"I'll continue stringing this guitar, if you don't mind," Yamazaki said. "I've got to get it done before my next class starts. Feel free to ask what's on your mind."

"Sure, go ahead!" Makoto quickly said. Once again, the man's smooth fingers began fiddling with the guitar string, and once again, Makoto became fascinated. She blinked a couple of times to break the trance. She decided to get to the point. "Are you... Sorry, I mean: is this Songbird Productions?"

The man looked up again smiling. "That's right, Miss! Songbird Productions is my one man company. I rent this room here in this school. I am a certified vocal coach and teacher with years of experience. I like to think I can make anyone sing like the bird, hence the name of my business."

He smiled proudly at her. Makoto was digesting what he had just told her. Okay, so Songbird productions was indeed about singing lessons. However, that did not necessarily mean anything.

"Would you like some lessons?" The man asked, seizing in on the moment like a shrewd businessman. "I have a good discount for new students! I can help you discover the talent that's hidden within you."

Makoto flinched when she heard his offer. "N-no thank you," she said. "I am not a very good singer..."

"Everybody is a good singer deep inside," Yamazaki said firmly, like a wise mentor instructing an apprentice. "You just have to find your own voice. Learn to understand it. Tame it. Like a tiger!"

"Thanks, but..."

"And you have a powerful voice, Miss Kino. I can hear that when you speak. If you practice to use your lungs and diaphragm, you could sing to make angels weep. You are also a really big girl with lots of muscle. A true athlete, I can tell. Yet, you also have a true feminine sensitivity. You have all the capacity to grow a powerful yet emotional voice."

Makoto blushed heavily. "Wh-wha... Th-thank you. But really, I..." Then irritation welled up inside of her. The man had her all over the place, and she was just acting like a dumb schoolgirl! She forced herself to focus. Before the man could say anything more, she quickly said: "Are you familiar with a girl named Ami Mizuno?"

Mr. Yamazaki looked a bit surprised over the sudden question, but then he gave a very big smile. "Miss Mizuno? Yes, of course!"

Makoto felt a little sting inside her chest. "You _know_ her?"

"Yes, of course," he answered. When he saw Makoto's big eyes, he quickly added: "I have known her for years. She's a student here at this academy. She comes for science and math classes almost every evening, but she also has a big interest in other subjects, like music. She is extremely interested in music. We have had dinner together in the cafeteria sometimes."

Makoto felt her shoulders relax. Of course.

The man took out a piece of cloth and began wiping the guitar. "Very charming girl," he continued. "Extremely clever too. She's your friend?"

"Yes," Makoto said with a smile. "And yes, she is clever. You can say that again. _And_ again."

She and Yamazaki laughed together. Yamazaki was done stringing the guitar. He hung the guitar up on the wall and turned back to Makoto. "She is interested in so many things," he continued. "Always asks a lot of questions. And when you answer, she listens with true passion. She is not like other people who just ask questions to be polite, and then forget what you have said right after."

Makoto looked down, knowing that she was guilty of that behavior sometimes when it came to academics. Her chest was filled with a mix of embarrassment and relief.

_Oh, Makoto... Are you starting to get paranoid like Minako? Ami and the man are friends, nothing more! She was probably going to deliver that receipt to a friend or something like that. No wonder she befriends him and does him a favor, being how much she admires teachers._

"A few years ago she seemed to be rather lonely," Yamazaki said and put his face in a frown. "She was always kind and eager to learn new things, but she seemed to have almost no social skills, and I never heard her say anything about any friends." His face then smoothened out. "But the last year, it's like she has become a whole new person. Now she is a lot more open and talkative, and she is always telling a lot of stories about what she has done together with her friends."

"Yes, I know what you mean," Makoto said and smiled. "She has really grown since I first met her."

Yamazaki looked at Makoto with gentle eyes. "I am happy for her. And personally, I would like to thank you for having made friends with her. She really needs it."

"Thank you," Makoto said, looking down in the ground smiling.

Mr. Yamazaki walked over to the windows and looked out at the afternoon landscape. The sun colored the buildings of Tokyo in a golden color. Makoto shook her head. She felt so stupid over the whole ordeal, but also relieved that everything was cleared up. She might as well leave and go home.

Yamazaki exhaled. "You know, I was so happy that she finally wanted to work together with me. It is really an honor to have such a talented and dedicated student."

Makoto's gaze bounced up from the floor. She stared at the man. He was still looking out the windows.

"I always suggested to her that she should try out some classes with me, but she was either too shy or too busy for it, the poor thing. Then two weeks ago, she comes over to me and asks if she can have lessons. And she is not just after having one little class just to try things out, no, she wants to go full on! In these two weeks, we had six classes. _Six_ classes! But, of course you already know this." He turned his head and smiled apologetically, then turned back to the window. "Already, she's made a hell of a progress. Girl is crazy. Has long school days and cram school a lot of the evenings. Yet, she takes these lessons three times a week from me. I don't know how she can keep it up."

He walked into the room again, a big smile on his face as he continued talking. "Her talent is exceptional. She learns everything the first time, and remembers it all afterwards. I mean, over the six classes we've had together, she improved in all areas: breathing, pitch accuracy, and so on. Of course, she is no master yet. Becoming a professional takes years of training. But she's already well on her way."

He opened his bag and took out some papers with lyrics written on them. "She really has the hots for this song called 'Moonlight Maiden'," he said while sorting the papers. "We've been practicing it a lot. It is a really beautiful piece, but a tricky one. But Ami's determination is remarkable. She really gives all her effort in learning it."

He put the papers down and turned his head to Makoto. "How was her contest, by the way?"

"Co-contest?"

The man raised his eyebrows. "Oh, I'm sorry. I actually don't know if it was a contest. I just assumed it was something like that from the way she talked about it." He shrugged. "No, she told me last week she was going to have a special performance in the weekend. That would be, uh, the Saturday that just passed now. She would sing Moonlight Maiden. She was determined to do a job as great as possible, so we practiced intensely. I hope it went well."

He looked down at his papers again smiling dreamily, then he looked back at Makoto. His smile disappeared and he got a worried look on his face. "Hey, are you alright?"

"H-huh?"

"You look pale. Do you need a glass of water?"

Makoto took a step backwards. "N-no, I'm fine. Thanks, but it's okay..."

"You sure?"

"Yes... Listen, I... I need to go now."

"Okay? Well, it was nice seeing you, Miss Kino."

Makoto did not answer. She turned around and walked out of the room.

"If you ever feel the urge for singing, do come by!" the man yelled behind her back. "Big discount for newcomers. Big discount!"

But Makoto was already gone.

* * *

The tall girl walked straight through the corridor and into the elevator without saying a word. Students turned their heads and looked at the giant girl with the pale white face as she made her way through the building, but she did not see them. She stared at the wall as the elevator slowly descended. When the doors opened, she walked slowly towards the exit. The guard did not even notice her as she walked through the doors.

She came out in the cold autumn air. The sun was slowly disappearing behind the houses. The air was still. No wind was blowing. She walked over to a bench nearby in the small park outside the school entrance. There were no other people around. Everything was quiet. Everything was covered in a deadly silence.

She slowly sat down on the bench.

Then she stared down into the ground.


	9. Chapter 9

_**A/N:**__ Thanks again to all of you who have reviewed the previous chapter! Also, I want to give very special thanks to The7Joker7 for all his support and comments about this story and my writing in general (even if he has not formally reviewed this story yet). It means so much to me!_

* * *

**CHAPTER 9**

Makoto was sitting in her apartment. All lights were turned off and everything was quiet. The sound of the clock on the wall was the only thing that could be heard.

She sat on her bed, curled up against the wall with her arms wrapped around herself. She felt completely numb. No thoughts pending in her brain. No hunger in her stomach or thirst in her mouth. No nothing. At this moment, she did not want to think. She did not want to feel. She just wanted to be alone in the darkness.

There were many drawbacks with living alone. The loneliness was one of the biggest negative aspects. But there was one benefit: when you really needed to be alone, you could be alone.

Makoto was staring on her communicator with a blank and emotionless face. It lay next to her on the bed and it was the only source of light in the dark room.

She picked up the communicator and looked at the display.

7 MISSED CALLS  
9 NEW MESSAGES

She dropped the device on the bed again and sighed. She had sat through all her friends' attempts at contacting her, with her back pressed against the wall and her eyes closed, waiting for the persistent signals to end and leave her in peace.

The communicator buzzed again. Makoto was so used to it by now that she did not even flinch by the sudden sound.

She slowly leaned over and watched the display.

INCOMING CALL: REI HINO

She watched the communicator. The signals kept ringing.

Eventually, she sighed and reached for the device. There was no use. She could not keep on like this and she knew it. If she would isolate herself, it would only lead to her friends coming over to her house.

She slowly picked up the device and activated it, putting it into audio only mode to avoid letting her friend see how miserable she looked like. She held the communicator in front of her and spoke up. "Hello?"

On the other end of the line, she could hear Rei's calm and steady voice. "Makoto? Oh, I am so happy that I finally got through to you. We were getting worried when you were not answering our calls."

"I'm sorry..."

"Are you alright, Makoto?" Rei sounded really concerned. "Why did you switch to audio only mode? Is anything the matter? Do you want me to come over?"

"No. I'm fine..."

"You sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

"Okay... Well, listen." She could hear Rei taking a breath. "Me and Luna had a little talk and we decided that we should all meet up as soon as we can. Well, all except for Minako, of course. We need to talk about the present situation and what to do. And it's probably best that we leave Artemis out of it as well."

"I see."

"As you probably know yourself, we cannot have this split between us. Not only is it putting our duty as scouts on the line, but it is also terribly straining for our normal friendship and our mental health."

"Yeah."

"So we should meet up as soon as we can. Are you available tomorrow after lunch? At the shrine?"

Makoto closed her eyes knowing there was nothing she could do. "Yes. I'll be there..."

"Good," Rei said. "I am very sorry for pushing you like this Makoto, but we really need to deal with this. I hope you are feeling better. Just tell me if you want to talk."

"Thanks, Rei. I'm fine."

"Okay. I will tell the others that I have spoken to you and that you will come tomorrow. You don't need to do anything else. Rest well and take care of yourself!"

"I will."

"Ami is feeling better now too. She will come along tomorrow. She told me she is open for a dialogue and that she will accept an apology from Minako."

A shiver went through Makoto's body.

"Okay, so see you tomorrow, Makoto. Bye!"

There was a click. Then there was only dead silence from the communicator.

Makoto slowly put the device down on her bed. She stared right out into the darkness.

* * *

**Tuesday, early afternoon**

Makoto slowly walked towards the Hikawa shrine. The weather had progressively gotten worse over the night and this autumn day was very raw and rugged. The wind was blowing heavily, threatening to drag the tree branches with it. The skies were dark, sending signals of forthcoming rain. Makoto was freezing. She was wearing a warm fur coat over her body, but it did not help much this time. The coldness she felt did not come from the wind, it came from the inside.

She had not had much sleep last night. She had sat in the darkness for more than an hour after she had spoken to Rei until she had finally tried to get some rest. And when she had fallen asleep, it was not the deep re-energizing slumber she had really needed. It had been more like a temporary shutdown of her system. She had not felt the slightest relieved when she had woken up.

She slowly walked up the stairs to the shrine. The stairs had never been so difficult to climb. It felt like her feet were made of stone.

Makoto had never faced a situation like this before. She was the kind of person who refused to get stuck. She would rather tackle the problem than trying to jump out of its way. She could handle physical fights, arguments, and threats. She could handle Usagi's whining, Rei's occasional coldness, Minako's egocentric tendencies...

But this was different. For the first time in her life, Makoto was at a loss. She did not know how to deal with the events that had been thrown upon her.

Makoto climbed the last step and finally reached the top of the stairs. She panted of exhaustion, probably more from the devastation she felt in her heart than a faulty physical condition.

"Makoto!"

Makoto looked up. She saw Usagi running towards her. Her hair was swinging behind her and her eyes were filled with pure and honest concern. It made Makoto tired just by looking at her.

"Hi," Makoto said. She forced a smile upon the blonde girl. No matter what happened, she was not going to put any weight on Usagi's shoulders. She wanted her friend to keep her light and hope.

"Makoto, how are you?" Usagi said with big eyes as she caught up with her tall friend. "You look horrible!"

She clung onto Makoto's arm, squeezing it while looking at her with eyes filled of concern.

"I'm fine, Usagi. I... I just haven't been sleeping very well."

She did not know what to say. How could she ever bring up a topic like this among the others? How could she ever bring up something like this to someone like Usagi?

"It is about this thing with Ami and Minako, isn't it? I'm also sad like you," Usagi said. She lowered her head and looked down, making her two odango pigtails almost touch the ground. "I want Ami and Minako to be friends!" she whimpered. "I want us to be together again."

Makoto watched Usagi. The girl was the essence of childlike innocence. No matter how much darkness she had around her, she was always pure. Always a candle in the dark. _She is too good for the rest of us_, Makoto thought to herself._ We others are cold, greedy and manipulative. She is not. She is the only one with a pure heart._

"Makoto..."

Another person came walking down the yard. It was Rei, walking at a majestic pace with her back straight and her raven hair flowing in the wind. Luna was pattering along by her side.

Their eyes met. Rei's face was as smooth as ever, skillfully concealing any emotion that her mind might hide. But her eyes were indeed concerned, and she was looking at Makoto with empathy.

"It's good to see you, Makoto," she said. "Once again, I apologize for calling you all the way here when you're not feeling well."

"I told you it's alright," Makoto mumbled. "I understand. It is important that we do this."

Rei nodded and gave a little smile. "It means a lot to us." She glanced at Usagi and Luna. "Let's go to the main hall. Ami is waiting inside."

They began walking. Makoto felt something cold growing in her stomach.

* * *

They came inside the gracious and well-decorated shrine. Its interior was very modest, but also very beautiful. Makoto normally loved the warm and soothing atmosphere of the shrine, but this time, nothing could shake the cold out of her body.

They entered a room on the side. The place where they usually held their meetings. The room had housed all kinds of emotions over the times: joyful happiness, childish quarrels, serious planning, endless hours of studying... But this time everything was different. The room had never been used at a time like this. And the room had never been used with one of them chased away.

In the middle of the room next to the table, on a pillow on the floor, sat Ami.

Makoto felt something thick in her throat when she saw the blue haired girl. She slowly sat down on one of the cushions on the floor on the other end of the low table.

Ami looked at Makoto and gave a sunny smile. "Hi, Makoto! I am happy to see you. I was worried when I heard you were not well. Are you feeling better now?"

Makoto stared at Ami. The girl had changed dramatically since last time. Just a few days ago, she had been a wreck. Now she was all different. She looked clean and healthy, her voice was strong, and that glitter in her eyes, the mix of curiosity and softness that she so often showed, had returned.

"It's... fine. Thank you for caring," Makoto quietly replied.

The rest of the girls sat down on the cushions. Rei took a tea pot of the cooker and poured up some smoking herbal tea. The mild scent of earth and grass filled the room. She poured it into small, wooden cups and handed them out to her guests with relaxed, majestic motions that years of training and focusing had shaped.

"Let's get started," she said after taking a slow sip of her tea. "Ami, why don't you go ahead right away and tell the others what you told me yesterday."

"Okay, I might as well," Ami said.

She put her hands on the table and looked each one of them in the eyes. It was the exact thing she always did when she was about to give a lecture or explain something for the rest of the group.

"Let's be fair right from the start," she said. "I think it is clear that the... 'Incident' I had with Minako a few days ago hurt me deeply. I was devastated. I was truly devastated. But thanks to all of you, I calmed down again." She gave a weak smile. "I feel alright now. I really do. You do not have to worry about me anymore. Rest assured that I am fine."

She closed her eyes and continued: "However, we obviously have to deal with Minako. I think we all know the major reasons concerning our mission and duty as Sailor scouts, but it is also important to me on a personal level..."

She let out a sigh. "...Let me say this once and for all: I love Minako. And I forgive her. I was very hurt and shocked with what she did to me... but I understand that she probably had a very bad day and that there must be something else that bothered her immensely. I do not know why, but I suspect that it was something that happened during that karaoke performance that really rubbed her the wrong way. And it seems that the text message I sent her only made things worse. I think this is what made her project all her sadness and anger at me."

Makoto felt like her heart skipped a beat.

"But whatever it was, I don't feel that the reason for the fight is the most important right now," Ami continued, "What I want to say is, I want to put this behind us. I want to talk to Minako and make up with her. She is a good person. She is just a bit unbalanced sometimes. And if I know her correctly, she is probably suffering a lot right now. She always feels regretful once she has calmed down. And if she is suffering, I want to help her. I want to help her by making up and forgiving her."

Ami looked up at her friends again and gave a little smile. "So I ask you to forgive her too. You might all feel angry for what happened, but I beg you to let go of those emotions and forgive her as well."

Usagi clapped her hands and smiled widely. Her eyes were glittering. "Oh Ami! You are so kind and sweet. I agree absolutely! We should all forgive Minako and move on."

Rei also had warmth in her eyes. "I also think that is the right thing," she said. "And if you – the victim of the abuse – are ready to forget and forgive, then I have no right to object."

"Mmm, it seems that things could work out after all," Luna said, her voice holding quite a lot of pride and satisfaction. "I am proud of you decision, Ami. It is definitely not an easy thing to say."

Makoto did not say anything.

She was starting to feel sick.

She looked at Ami. The girl was smiling. She was smiling warmly. She had happiness in her eyes.

Luna gave Ami a worried look. "Ami, do you feel okay with confronting Minako and talk about it? I can understand that it must be difficult after what she did to you..."

"Yes, Luna, I think I can handle it," Ami said. "I am a bit nervous about it, admittedly, but I need to face that fear. I think that is the right thing to do: to just sit down and have an open and honest talk with Minako. I will give her a chance to say everything she thinks and feels, and I will do the best to understand her and help her in any way I can. After all, openness and honesty are what true friendship is based on, isn't it?"

Makoto swallowed. She felt her face losing more and more of its color.

"By the way," Luna said, "Even if we have agreed to move on and leave it behind us, I would like to ask: does anyone of you have an idea of exactly why Minako did what she did? Does anyone of you know why she lost it all of a sudden?"

"It's difficult to understand that girl," Rei said with a frown. "She is impossible to predict. Anytime her pride gets a torn she falls apart, although I have no clue why Ami singing a song would do her so much harm. It seems completely random to me." She sighed. "But then again, she often misinterprets people's intentions and feelings and fills out the blanks with her own ideas."

"I have no clue," Ami said and shook her head. "I wish I knew. If I had known, I would not have sung at all. I would never want to do something against Minako that would hurt her so."

Makoto cringed.

She felt tears rising in her throat. She could not take it anymore. The anger, that she had fought so hard to hold back, now rose to the surface.

She slammed her hand down in the table. "Enough!"

The loud sound rang through the otherwise very quiet shrine. All the girls jumped. Luna almost fell of her pillow. Four pair of eyes – belonging to three girls and one cat – stared at Makoto in surprise.

"Enough now, Ami," she said to the blue haired girl. "Enough with your little games."

"Makoto?" Usagi said.

"Is there something wrong?" Ami said, looking at Makoto with surprise in her eyes.

Makoto's face darkened. "'Is there something wrong?' Yes, something is very wrong, Ami, and you know very well what that is."

Ami looked a bit confused. "I'm not sure I follow..."

"I think you do, Ami," Makoto said with a deep voice. "You're lying. You're sitting there deceiving us all."

Rei held up a hand. "Now wait a minu—"

"Quiet!" Makoto cut her off without taking her eyes away from Ami. Rei stared at Makoto looking deeply offended, but the brown haired girl had all her attention on the bluenette.

"I honestly never thought you would do something like this, Ami," Makoto said. "I honestly never thought that you would be so dishonest. But now you've crossed the line, and I will tell everybody the truth."

Makoto straightened her back and looked the others in the eyes. "Last week, the day right after the karaoke, I actually met with Minako in secret. She asked me not to tell you about it, but now I feel I have to. We had a long talk, and she told me why she became so devastated. She confirmed to me that the reason for her sudden breakdown that night was indeed your performance, Ami. You sang her favorite song Moonlight Maiden so well that she broke down and lost all her confidence in herself."

Makoto shook her head. "Not very surprising for Minako. But then she told me something else. She claimed that you, Ami, had been practicing your singing in secret and had planned all along to go up right before her and sing her favorite song just to break her. I shook it off as one of those typical paranoid ramblings coming from Minako. But then I learned yet another thing..."

She pierced Ami with her eyes. "When I was looking for tissues in your purse that night, I found a receipt. It was a receipt from Songbird Productions, a vocal coach who has his office in the same building as your cram school is located."

Ami made a loud gasp and put her hands to her mouth.

Makoto's voice started to crack up a bit. "I honestly did not want to believe it, but I went over there to check. I met with the vocal coach, Ichiro Yamazaki. He told me that you had been taking six singing lessons at his place – three each week – the two weeks before that karaoke night. You had specifically been practicing Moonlight Maiden on all those lessons. And you..." she swallowed, forcing herself to continue, "you had told him that you were having a special performance where you would sing that song, and that you really had to get everything right until that performance."

The anger finally took over. Her hands curled up into fists. She stared at Ami in rage and sadness, finally letting the frustration inside of her hit with full force.

"You did not go up on the stage just because you wanted to sing Moonlight Maiden! You went up there just because you wanted to break Minako! You went up there just because you wanted to show her that you were so much better than her! You knew that you had learned to sing that song better than Minako, and you wanted her to hear that. You wanted her to _feel_ that!"

She paused for a few moments then concluded her speech in a low, growly voice. "You probably didn't think that I would find out. It was just a coincidence that I found that receipt. But I did find it, and I did find out about your secret." She made a gesture with her hand towards the other people in the room. "Well then, go ahead and defend yourself, Ami, if you can. Tell me that I'm wrong. Look us all in the eyes and say that this is not the truth."

Dead silence.

The others stared at Ami with open mouths and huge eyes.

The blue haired girl licked her lips as she tried to meet the stare of her friends. All the confidence and sweetness she had shown just minutes ago were gone.

She opened and closed her mouth a few times before letting out a weak stutter. "That's... It's... It must be some kind of misunderstanding, I..." She choked upon her words, unable to finish the sentence.

Silence spread again inside the room. Makoto had slumped down on the cushion after her long speech and was staring down into the floor with a bitter and pained look on her face. Luna and Usagi looked confused, trying to process the information they had just heard.

Then Rei slowly put her hand on the table and straightened her back. She let her eyes rest on the blue haired girl and spoke out in a quiet voice that concealed any emotion. "Ami, is this true?"

Ami looked down on her knees, unable to look the others straight in the eye. She was breathing through her teeth.

"Is it true, or is it not true?" Rei said in the same quiet voice.

Ami sealed her eyes shut.

"Answer me." Rei's dark, magenta colored eyes fixated on the blue haired girl.

Ami sat still, cringing with her eyes closed. After almost ten seconds, she finally spoke up: "I did go there, but... I never meant to do anything bad..."

No one said anything. They all watched the blue haired girl. The clock on the wall ticked heavily as the seconds felt like hours.

Rei continued. "Did you practice Moonlight Maiden? And did you tell the teacher you were going to have a special performance?"

Ami sat still again. After a while, she slowly opened her eyes. There was still fear in them, but now there was also guilt. "...yes."

Usagi let out a quiet whimper. She put her hands to her mouth in awe. She shook her head slowly and small fragments of tears formed in the corners of her eyes. "But Ami... that's..."

Rei put her palms to the floor and leaned back. She did not say a word. She just stared at Ami, slowly shaking her head.

Luna pressed her front paws against the ground. She stared at Ami with anger in her eyes. Makoto was still looking down into the floor with the same look of devastation on her face.

Ami stared at the others with eyes filled with desperation. "R-really, this is all a misunderstanding," she stuttered. "You... You must not think that I meant to do something like that on purpose to hurt anybody. It—"

"Stop."

Everybody flinched. They stared at the miko, who had just cut off the blue haired girl.

Rei straightened her back and looked Ami right into the eyes. "Don't act innocent or make up some excuse on this," she said. "I understand now how all this happened."

It quickly became apparent for everyone how intimidating Rei could really be with her thick and wild raven hair and her dark, piercing eyes.

Rei spoke with a raw but steady voice. "I clearly noticed how your voice had improved over those two weeks. We all did. But I did not think of it more after that. I figured it might simply have something to do with your self confidence and that you now dared to sing with all your heart. But now I know the reason."

She pointed her finger at Ami, making the blue haired girl let out a whimper and pull herself back.

"You know how important singing is to Minako," Rei continued with a disgusted look on her face. "You know how much she struggles with it and how sensitive she is about her own voice and her own performances. And you, of all people, know how it feels like to have low self esteem and to be left out in the cold. For most part of your life, you have been frozen out by people your age. These people hurt you. These people _tormented_ you and made you feel worthless inside. You have firsthand experience of how it feels when people break you. And _still_, you went through with your plan."

Ami looked down in the floor, seemingly shrinking under the weight of Rei's scolding. For every word the raven haired girl uttered, Ami's eyes filled with more and more desperation.

Rei continued, venom slowly filling her voice. "And just minutes ago you claimed that you did not know what caused Minako's breakdown. You said that friendship is based on 'honesty' and 'openness'. How dare you even take those words in your mouth after doing something like this? Not only did you blatantly lie us all right in the face, you are a hypocrite too!"

Ami did not take her eyes off the floor. She shook her head in desperation.

Rei's face filled with contempt and bitterness. "I must say that this was a very low thing to do, Ami. It is horrible and disgusting, and I never believed you would actually do something like that. I always thought of you as noble, but it seems I was wrong. Maybe you are not as sweet as I thought?"

"I agree," Luna cut in. Her voice was also bitter. She took a few steps towards Ami and looked her into the eyes. "I must say I am very disappointed in you."

Ami was almost out of breath. She wheezed and stared down in the wooden boards on the floor. It seemed the weight of the words slowly sunk into her. Something hard came over her face. She pressed her jaws together and looked up again. "I could not know that she would freak like that!" she blurted out in desperation. "I didn't think it would be a big thing, and—"

"Stop it," Rei cut her off. "Don't pretend that you were unaware of the possible consequences. You know very well by now how Minako is and how she reacts to things. You must have known that it would hit her straight in the heart. You must have known that doing something like that would crush her completely. It is unthinkable that you did not know what a devastating effect it would have on her. And it sickens me that you still went through with it."

Ami stared at her with horror in her eyes.

Makoto looked up at her. "And that text message you sent to all of us, what was that for?" she cut in. "Just another opportunity to rub salt in Minako's wounds?"

Ami shook her head again. "I wanted to make up! I just tried to be friendly..."

"And we all saw what that lead to," Makoto replied with a vile look in her eyes. "You know what? I don't believe you. I think you did it just to step on Minako again."

Ami looked like she had taken a hit to the face. Her gaze bounced around the room, then anger filled her eyes. She sniffed a couple of times. "I didn't write that text just to step on Minako," she mumbled with a sad voice. "And I may take singing lessons if I want. I may sing any song I want anywhere I want. That's not for you to decide. I have not done anything wrong."

Rei gritted her teeth. "Don't act like some dumb kid. You know very well what we are talking about. You _may_ sing as much as you want. You _may_ take vocal lessons if you'd like that. No one will hold you back from doing that, and no one ever has. What we're upset about is the fact that you did all this in secret, preparing every single step carefully and going up there on the stage right before Minako just to break her."

"That's not true, I... I didn't want to break her. I could not have done anything differently even if I had told you about the lessons."

"You're wrong, Ami, and you know that," Rei said coldly. "There were so many things you could have done instead. If you would have cared about her, you could have brought her along to the classes. You could have told us all that you were taking lessons. You could have taught Minako the things you had learned. You could have sung together and you could have helped her improve – _anything_ like that, but no! You just practiced in secret to make sure she would taste as much bitterness as possible."

Ami's eyes looked like they were almost popping out of her sockets. She stared back at Rei, looking desperate. "You're wrong! You're wrong about all this!" Then anger and hurt seeped into her face. "You should not... sit there... scolding me like that! You have no right to do so..."

"To be honest, I think I do have a right to scold you, Ami. You did something very rude towards Minako. You were completely disrespectful of her feelings. And not only that, but you have been dishonest towards the rest of us. And the worst thing is, you don't even seem to accept this. If you have some dignity, you should confess to yourself that you did something very bad. Something very... evil."

"Don't you dare saying I am evil!" Ami shouted, devastation flashing in her eyes. "You have no right to call me evil!"

Rei stared back coldly. "I am not saying _you_ are evil, Ami. I am saying that what you did was evil. I know that you are a good person. But what you did against Minako... that's not something you do against a friend. Such actions are evil, plain and simple."

Ami wheezed through her teeth. "S-stop pushing me! I haven't done anything wrong! I'm not the bad guy!" She pointed towards herself. "Did you forget what she did to me before in my home? Is that a good thing to do? Isn't that evil?"

Rei snorted. "I do not support what she did against you in your home. What she did was wrong and she has to face the consequences for that. But her behavior is very understandable now that we know what you put her through." Rei slowly pulled her hair back behind her shoulders and looked Ami straight in the eyes. "I am not going to keep on debating this with you anymore, Ami. What you did was low. It's a really low thing to do. It's cruel, it's tasteless, and you should be ashamed of yourself."

Silence spread in the room once Rei had slammed the gavel down.

Ami sat still not saying anything. Her body was shaking and she was staring down in the floor. Waves of anger, sadness, and guilt flowed through her eyes. She put her fists towards her forehead as if fighting to get control over the emotional storm raging inside of her.

Her breathing slowly became more focused, turning into a regular, rhythmic wheezing. Ami closed her eyes and started taking deep, raspy breaths through her nose as if trying to clear her mind.

"Very well..." she whispered quietly through her teeth. She took a few more breaths. Her hand left her forehead and dropped down in her lap. "Very well..."

Then she suddenly let out a short, lifeless chuckle. She raised her head and looked at the others. The blood had started disappearing from her face and the life slowly left her eyes. "Should _I_ be ashamed of myself?" she said, her lips trembling. "Should I really be ashamed?"

She looked down on her hands resting in her lap. She began fidgeting a little with her skirt. She chuckled quietly once again and then muttered: "...like that blonde bimbo has never been rude or selfish before."

Her head quickly rose again. She looked the others straight into the eye. "...like YOU have never been rude or selfish before!"

Violent anger distorted the usually so soft face of Ami's. Uneasiness spread among the other girls as they stared at the rage shining from her blue irises.

"It is always like that, isn't it!" she said forcefully. "You can roam about as much as you want, but I should always be the sweet one. The one who always comforts, the one who always helps. But when I try to outscore any of you, then you want to hold me back! Then it's not okay anymore. Yes, sure, as long I help you with your homework and come up with good solutions in battles, everything is fine and dandy. But if I just happened to step into one of your favorite territories, then I have committed a sin."

"That's not what I said," Rei said. Ami's words did not put her off guard, but she was not able to completely suppress the moment of surprise over Ami's rage.

"So I should be ashamed of myself for what I did against Minako? You know what..." Ami paused for a few seconds and closed her eyes, then looked at the others again with pure venom in her face. "I am not ashamed at all. I did what I wanted to do and I did it well. And if Minako cannot handle coming out as a loser, just because she is a crybaby and isn't talented enough, then it is her damn problem, not mine."

Shock and disgust filled Rei's eyes. "You don't mean that. You don't mean what you just said."

"I mean _exactly_ what I say!" Ami shouted. "Minako has not advanced very far despite practicing for years! I sensed her weaknesses when I heard her sing, I felt them myself when I tried singing Moonlight Maiden the first time, and then I worked hard and humbly to improve, and look where it took me! It took me further than that blonde girl has ever gone!"

"What kind of arrogant, elitist attitude is that?!" Makoto cut in with a loud voice. "How can you be so cold hearted? Minako tries _really_ hard to become an idol! It's the biggest dream of her life! She puts all her energy and free time into it!"

"If that's the case, then why isn't she doing anything constructive in order to improve?!" Ami retorted. "She has done nothing but threading water for years!"

"That's really disrespectful of you to say! She is not threading water! She's trying as hard as she can!"

"Trying means nothing! It is only the outcome that matters! If you do not succeed, then you are a loser, then you have no talent, and then you are nothing."

A sick, cold feeling grew in Makoto's stomach as she looked at Ami when she was saying those words. The blue haired girl stared back at her full of confidence. With fear in her heart, she realized that Ami was probably not faking. She was being honest.

She had never thought that Ami could be so... brutal.

"Ami, that's so cruel!" Usagi said, a teardrop running down her cheek. "How can you even say that?"

"I am shocked too," Luna said. "You don't mean that, Ami!"

"I can say that because I am the only one of us who actually succeeds with something!" Ami said, the anger in her voice still intact. "I put effort into my studies and I get the highest scores. I put my soul into singing and I got very far in just two weeks. Would anyone of you ever achieve anything like that?!" Ami snorted and put her nose up in the air. "No, of course you wouldn't. You never do. You just slack off and want me to do all the hard work for you! I am the only one who works hard for my future. I will keep working hard and I will achieve all my goals. I will be bigger, better and more famous than any of you in anything I'll ever do!"

Makoto hammered the table, anger rushing in her veins. "That's disrespectful! I wou—"

"Oh yes, Makoto, wasn't that what you wanted to do with your life, again?" Ami interrupted and looked Makoto right in the eyes. "You wanted to become a chef, didn't you? You wanted to have a little restaurant, right? That's a cute little dream of yours. Cute, but not very grand. Now, you probably wouldn't have any problems with making the food, but tell me: who is going to do all the paperwork, checking all the tax documents, bills and invoices? Yeah, who is going to do that? _You_?" Ami smiled cruelly. "I doubt you could ever learn to deal with that, with such poor grades in mathematics. And who would you call up when you are sitting there completely clueless, drowning in bills? Yeah, I think you would call me, because I am the only one of us who could help you."

"Why you...!" Makoto said with a face red of anger. "How dare you?"

But she could not mask the fact that Ami's words had struck her like a knife to the heart. She had often been day dreaming about having her own restaurant, but she was well aware of her weak mathematical skills, and the issue with numbers and paperwork really frightened her. And now Ami dug it all up and tossed it back into her face. With deadly precision.

"A-Ami, please stop this!" Usagi sobbed. "Don't say these things... I know that you don't mean any of this..."

"Don't you dare talking back to me!" Ami growled and faced Usagi. "You are the biggest slacker of everyone! You haven't done a single thing worth investing for the future. All that you are – being a princess and a warrior – and all that you have or will achieve, is the result of gifts that have been passed on to you! You haven't sacrificed a drop of sweat to be in the position you now are!"

Usagi broke down. She put her face in her hands and cried.

"That's enough!" Rei hissed. She put her arm around Usagi as if to protect her from all the poisonous words Ami spat out. "Is this what you really think? Is that how you _really_ look at the world?"

"Damn straight that's what I think!" Ami said loudly without hesitation.

The anger in Rei's face faded out. Her voice slowly turned into ice. "...so that's what you think?" Her eyes filled with contempt. "In that case, I feel _very_ sorry for you, Ami Mizuno..."

Ami just stared at Rei with eyes filled with fire. Rei stared back without moving an inch. The contempt still bathed in her dark irises.

"Yeah, you think you are so good, don't you, Rei?" Ami growled with a raspy voice that almost did not seem human. "The proud and untouchable shrine maiden always riding on her big morals..."

Rei gave her no answer. She was still holding the crying Usagi while piercing the blue haired girl with her eyes, seemingly untouched by her vulgar statements.

Her burning pride and glowing confidence seemed to provoke the water princess. The anger and frustration that Ami had built up slowly turned into desperation. It was as if she finally realized that direct attacks would never break the confident miko, who had achieved near perfection in controlling her emotions.

This seemed to be the last straw for Ami. You could see in her face that she refused to back down now. She was caught in a death race with her close friend, heading full speed towards a heads on collision – and she knew that Rei would never hit the brakes. The pride and the massive anger that clouded her mind finally pushed her to the limits of her sanity – and into drastic measures.

A darkness no one had never seen before crept into Ami's eyes. With an evil grin on her lips, she took a final step. "I bet that the mere concept of a dream has never crossed your mind, Rei," she hissed. "How could it? You only live for duty and self-sacrifice. You only live to serve something that others have put on your shoulders. You told me once that you wanted to become a priestess, inheriting this shrine after your grandfather. Well, that's easy, isn't it? It is easier for you than for any one of us. All you have to do is to sit on your butt for a couple of more years until your beloved grandpa's heart stops beating, and then it's all yours. Hopefully it won't take that long. Maybe if you're lucky, he'll fall over already tomorrow."

Silence spread in the room.

A massive, crushing silence.

Makoto and Luna stared at Ami with horrified eyes.

Usagi still covered her face with her hands but she was not sobbing anymore. Only a few whimpers came out.

Rei slowly let go of Usagi and straightened her back. Her face was pale. It was as if all life had vanished from her body.

Without moving another muscle in her body, and without taking her eyes off Ami, she slowly raised her arm and pointed to the door.

"Get out."

Her voice was like a whisper.

"Get out of my house. Now."

Ami stared back for a few seconds with tired, empty eyes. Then she stood up. She picked up her jacket and belongings and walked out of the room without saying a word.


	10. Chapter 10

**CHAPTER 10**

A long moment had passed since Ami had left the shrine. The remaining three girls and the black cat were still inside Rei's room. The scene looked not too unlike the one they had had a few days ago in Ami's apartment. Rei was sitting with her head down, her hair covering her face. Usagi was slowly stroking the miko's head, trying to comfort her just like she had been comforted herself during the earlier struggle. Luna was lying on a pillow staring numbly out in the air. Makoto was standing up, pacing back and forth on the floor and muttering quietly to herself just like she had done before in Ami's home – but this time it was of crushing sadness rather than anger.

"...and I... I turned her away," the tall girl whispered to herself. "I did not believe her. I told her everything she said was lies..." She pressed her hands against her chest. She bit her lip and sniffed, trying to hold the tears in. "...but it was different. She had made observations. She presented it to me. She tried her best to give me proof that she was telling the truth. She did not just ramble like she usually does..." She shook her head. "...but I turned her away. I told her she was being absurd. She must have felt so lonely..."

"It was not your fault, Makoto," Luna said. She looked at Makoto with as much comfort as a small, black cat could muster up. "No one of us could believe that something like this would happen. No one could predict that Ami would do something like that, and that Minako would take revenge upon Ami."

When Luna mentioned Ami's name, Makoto's eyes darkened. "That girl... That blue haired, manipulative little narcissist. I can't believe I thought of her as innocent..." Her hand curled up into a fist. "I always thought she was so sweet. But I should have known. After all, I have seen how much Ami bitches about being on top in everything she does. I have seen how annoyed she gets if she does not make it to the number one spot. I used to think of it as cute, but now I see what effects it can have on her and on other people."

She sighed and let her hands fall down on the side. She turned her head and looked at Rei and Usagi. Rei's head was still hanging down, her long, thick hair effectively hiding her face.

"Rei..." Usagi said quietly. "Please look at me."

She grabbed Rei's chin and gently raised her head, then brushed away the dark strands of hair. Makoto felt a sting in her heart when she saw the miko's face. She was very pale and her eyes looked dead tired. Ami's words had obviously hurt her deeply.

"Rei..." Usagi said again and stroked her hair. "Please don't be sad."

Rei looked at Usagi weakly. It looked like she was fighting the tears back. "How could she say something like that?" she said quietly. "How could she say something like that to me?"

Usagi looked at Rei with sad, hopeless eyes.

Rei shook her head and sniffed. "She cannot say something like that to me. She does not have the right to say something like that."

Rei lowered her head again. Usagi was biting her lip, a sad expression on her face. The two girls remained in silence for a long moment. Then eventually, Usagi looked up at Rei again. She took a breath and said: "Rei... I don't think she meant what she said."

The pain remained in Rei's eyes. "She had no right to say something like that..." she whispered.

Usagi put her arms around Rei and pulled her close. "Rei... I know that Ami had no right to do what she did. And I know that you feel terrible about it. But I ask you..." She took a breath. "I ask you to please forgive her."

Rei did not answer. She stared intensely at the wall, breathing quietly through her nose.

"I know I am asking a lot," Usagi continued, "but I feel so bad seeing Minako and Ami being so angry, and I couldn't handle it if you would break down too. So please... forgive her."

Rei continued staring at the wall without a reply, but tears were slowly forming in the corner of her eyes.

Usagi put her head on top of Rei's and stroke her shoulder with her hand. "Please..." she whispered into the miko's ear. "For me?"

Rei let out a sigh. A single teardrop ran down her cheek. Then she gave a little nod, then another. She wiped her eye with the back of her hand.

Makoto felt something thick in her throat. She kneeled down in front of Rei and Usagi and looked the blonde girl into the eyes. "Usagi..." she mumbled, trying to find the right words. "You are very kind and I really appreciate that. But I honestly feel that Ami went too far. I want to forgive her too. I really do." She sighed, guilt flashing in her eyes. "But I feel it's difficult to do that at this moment."

Usagi looked at Makoto with her blue, innocent eyes. "Makoto... To tell the truth, I think... I think we were maybe too hard on her."

Makoto looked at her in confusion. "What do you mean? She did something very bad against us. She deserved to be told off. We had to tell her off."

"I know..." Usagi said, her face filled with sadness. "But... I am not so sure that a brutal, direct approach like that was the best thing to do. Not with her."

"I don't understand."

Usagi looked at Makoto with pleading eyes. "Makoto, Ami easily gets afraid when you raise your voice at her, but she is always a very good listener if you take it easy. Maybe we should have said all those things in a more relaxed, explaining way instead of tossing it right into her face? Ami is probably not very used to getting scolded like that. It must have come as a shock for her."

Makoto swallowed. Usagi did have a point, but she still had plenty of anger deep within. "She said some really bad things to us," she said. "Particularly to Rei. And to you too. And she did this whole big thing against Minako. You just cannot forgive like that."

Usagi's eyes became really sad. "I know... but I want us to forgive her anyway. I cannot... I cannot stand all this sadness and anger..."

"You cannot forgive like that," Makoto protested, but her voice was starting to crack up. "You honestly cannot argue that we should forgive her just like that. It's not rational!"

"I know, but..." Usagi said and closed her eyes of sadness. "Makoto... Do you remember what Ami said to us during our argument?"

Makoto looked confused. "No?"

"She pointed out that all of us have done bad things sometimes. She said that none of us is free of guilt. And I think that she is right."

Makoto shook her head. "But that's..."

"Makoto," Usagi said and looked her friend deep into the eyes. "Have you always been a nice person to everybody? Have you never done any bad things that forced you to apologize to the ones you hurt? Have you always been an angel?" Usagi took a deep breath and looked at the others. "Has Rei always been an angel? Has Minako always been an angel? Have _I_ always been an angel?"

Makoto stared at Usagi. She did not know what to say.

"We have told Ami what we think," Usagi continued. "She now knows that it was not okay. After all that, what more is there left to do? The only thing we can do now is to forgive her and welcome her back."

Silence spread in the room after Usagi had finished. Makoto stared at Usagi. She stared at her moon princess whom she loved so much. Tears were forming in the brown haired girl's eyes. It was moments like these that made her understand why Usagi was so loved by everyone.

Then a voice spoke up. "She is right."

It was Rei. She had raised her head and straightened her back and now looked at the others. She looked a lot more relaxed now than before. Her face had regained some color and life had come back in her eyes.

"She is right," Rei said again. "Usagi is completely right about this, and I have decided to forgive Ami." She took a breath and continued: "I know I have the right to be angry, but I don't want to go on with that. I want this to end. Now. If I would push it, I would only continue the negative circle. And who knows where that would end? Now we have two runaway scouts, and frankly, I am getting fed up with all the lies, deception and negative emotions that we have had the last few days. Besides, we need to have a strong team if we are going to protect the people. We cannot go on like this."

Makoto looked at the miko and then back at the moon princess. She exhaled deeply and focused to force the darkness out of her mind. Finally, she felt the relief fill her heart. She closed her eyes. "Okay..." she said. "I agree with you. I forgive Ami."

Usagi took her friends' hands. "Thank you, Makoto," she said to her tall friend, "and thank you, Rei."

"I am proud of your decision," Luna said. She walked up to the three girls and sat down in front of them. "This is the right thing to do. We need to sort things out, leave it behind and move on. That's what noble warriors would do."

"'Noble warriors'?" Makoto said with a bitter chuckle. "'Noble warriors'? We're just like a bunch of five year olds fighting over a box of candy." She shook her head. "We cannot even be honest with each other. We just lie, cheat and manipulate! If our enemies saw this, they would be laughing. We are the Sailor team, the defenders of our planets, and we can't even function together as a group!"

"Don't say that, Makoto," Luna said softly. She walked up to the tall girl and put her small paws on her foot. "You are the defenders of this planet, but don't forget that you are also a group of fourteen year old girls." She stroked herself against Makoto's leg and continued: "...and you are also _very_ different from each other as persons. Your personalities, temperaments, and ambitions are all different. It is easy to understand that conflicts like these happen sometimes. But don't forget, Makoto, that the differences between the five of you are also one of your biggest strengths. It helps you a lot any time you are in combat, and most important of all, it makes the friendship between you so much stronger and so much more unique."

Makoto kneeled down and stroke the black cat's fur. The anger in her face disappeared. "Thanks, Luna..."

Luna's little speech, combined with the determination of Usagi and Rei, seemed to have an effect. The mood and the atmosphere lit up and they all started to feel a little bit of hope inside.

"Luna is right," Rei said. A small smile appeared on her lips. The first one in a long time. "We do have a lot of conflicts, and we do need to put a lot of energy into maintaining our friendships – probably a lot more than other people. But in the end, it is all worth it."

"I agree!" Usagi blurted out. "I know that Minako and Ami are good people deep down, and I want to make them happy again."

Makoto could not help feeling affected by the newfound confidence in her two friends. She felt herself lighten up a little inside.

Moments of silence passed as they sat still on the floor. After a while, Makoto put her face into a frown. She looked up at the dark haired girl next to her. "Rei, I need to check something with you, just to be sure. Have you sensed any kind of energy in Ami and Minako over these days? You know, like an evil force or something?"

Rei gave her a pained look. "I'm sorry, Makoto, I did not sense anything of that kind in them..." The miko sighed. "I know what you're after, but I'm afraid that what we are dealing with here is simply human nature, nothing more. This is the work of their personalities and nothing else..."

Makoto nodded quietly. Her gaze moved down to the floor again.

"So... what do we do now?" she asked after a few moments. "Does anybody have any idea what to do with Minako and Ami?"

Usagi sat up and looked at the others. "I think it won't be too difficult with Minako," she said slowly. "I know how she is, and what she thinks and feels. She always gets very upset at first, but then she calms down and regrets everything she has said and done. I'm sure that she's feeling very sad and lonely now. I'm sure she wants nothing more than to apologize to us. And I think..." She took a breath. "...I think she's afraid. Afraid that we will not take her back. Afraid that we do not want to forgive her. And I am sure that she would ask for forgiveness at once if we just welcome her back with open arms."

The others said nothing. They just watched respectfully as the moon princess told her feelings from the heart.

"However," Usagi said and looked a little bit worried, "I'm more concerned about Ami."

"How so?" Rei asked.

"As I mentioned before, Ami is not used to getting scolded like that, and it must have been a big blow for her. I don't know how she will handle these emotions."

"What do you mean?" Makoto said.

"The problem is... Ami is used to being alone. She is used to be without friends and to bury herself in her books. That's what she did all the time before we made friends."

She looked the others in the eyes. A small glimpse of fear appeared.

"I'm worried that Ami might go back to living a bit like she used to do before she met us. I'm worried that she might choose to grow cold and isolate herself from others. And if she shuts herself, it might be very difficult for us to make her open herself again."

They all looked at each other, worry showing in their eyes.

Makoto swallowed. "Does anyone know where Minako is? Can we find her?"

Rei looked at her with her big, dark eyes. "I don't know where she is, but I think I know a way to find out."

The other three looked at each other. They all knew what Rei was planning.

"I assume you want to be alone," Luna said.

"I'd prefer to, yes," Rei said. "I apologize for that."

"It's okay," Usagi said. She gave Rei one last hug and then stood up. "Do your best, okay?"

Makoto and Luna stood up as well. They gathered their things and slowly walked out, leaving Rei alone in the room.

* * *

The girl with the long raven hair slowly walked inside the big room. In the middle of the room was a huge fire, spreading its rays of light through the darkness. The girl stopped a few feet away from the smoldering flames. Her face was still, showing no emotion at all. Not even the heat of the fire could lure out a drop of sweat on her pale skin. Her dark, violet eyes reflected the sparks of the fire, highlighting the concentration that was burning inside her irises.

In a slow and smooth motion, she sat down on the floor in front of the fire. She crossed her legs and straightened her back. She put her hands together and held them in front of her chest. She then closed her eyes and began focusing. Her breathing became slower and more regular. She cleared her mind of all thoughts and let the rhythmic, cracking sound of the fire fill her ears.

Slowly, her attachment to the earthly world began to fade. Her mind opened itself to the spiritual energies of the planet. She began feeling a presence around her. The presence of thousands of souls. She could feel their hearts beat and hear their voices speak. They ran through her soul like a river of spiritual energy.

One with the world, she slowly began refocusing her energy. Through the gigantic ocean of souls, she tried to erase the noise of all the million voices. She blocked them out one by one, trying to focus on the ones that had a true connection to her heart.

After some time, the buzzing of the spiritual cloud thinned out. The dark noise of the cosmic energy faded and she began recognizing the voices she was familiar with. Slowly, she started to identify the presence of her friends in the big dark vastness.

Far away, she could feel the energy from one of the souls. She let her spirit reach out to the energy source. Slowly she made contact and let her senses grasp the energy, letting it take shape and form in her mind.

As the energy was flowing through her, her senses started to feel its basic physical properties. It was something smooth, something that was running. Moisture. Wetness of some kind. Then came the visual properties. Blue. The color blue touched her mind. And then, the sound of waves. She then felt the mental projection. The soul was weak, frail and timid.

The raven haired girl suddenly gasped and briefly lost her concentration. There were more feelings there. Anger. A big fog of anger clouded the aquatic spirit. The rage was fresh and breathing, pulsating violently in the dark space. There were also other feelings accompanying the anger. Fear, disappointment, feelings of betrayal, loneliness...

Rei tried to approach the spiritual energy once again, but to no avail. The soul did not want to be touched. The soul had locked itself into the cloud of anger, blocking out anyone who tried to connect with it. Rei exhaled and tried to recover her relaxed mood. She slowly let go of the spiritual energy and once again opened herself for the vast darkness.

Then she felt something far away in the darkness. A small, pulsating source of energy belonging to another soul. She slowly began focusing on the newfound energy. It was surprisingly weak. As she approached the spirit, she began feeling more of its features. Heat. Light. The essence of the spirit was something warm and bright. The colors of red and gold flashed before her mind. The energy was complex and unpredictable, but still endlessly powerful, like... Rei focused to find the feeling she was looking for. Love. Yes, that was it. The energy reminded her of the feeling of love.

As she took in more and more of the spiritual force, she felt that the strong energy was tainted with something else. A heap of other emotions swirled around inside the spirit, gnawing on its soul. Rei felt a shiver run through her mind when she felt its emotions. Torment, sadness, regret. The soul was in heavy pain. But the pain was not directed towards other spirits. The pain was directed inwards, towards the soul itself. This soul held a lot of guilt, and it was punishing itself for it.

As she moved closer and closer to the soul, she could feel something else. The soul was not turning her away. It was calling out for help. Beneath the murmur of the negative emotions, the soul was screaming for someone to help it. Rei focused and moved closer and closer. She slowly pushed her own energy into the other soul, embracing it, uniting with it, until she could almost feel the person's heartbeats. She moved closer and closer...

Then there was a bright flash before her eyes. And then she found herself on the wooden floor in her home, in front of the fire, panting heavily.

She slowly crawled up, trying to get a grip of herself. Her hands were shaking and her skin was soaked with sweat. She took several deep breaths, trying to get her pounding heart under control.

Once she had gotten her emotions in balance, she slowly stood up. The intense sensation she had felt when making contact with the spirit had scared her deeply. There was so much pain there. So much loneliness and despair that she for a split second had thought it would crush her. But regardless of how devastated she felt, she knew she had succeeded in her task. The soul had called out to her. The soul had connected with her. And most important of all: the soul had told her where it was hiding.

She shook her head and focused for a few more moments in order to completely regain her composure. She raised her head and took one last look at the fire in front of her. Then she turned around and walked out of the room.

She now knew where her friend was.


	11. Chapter 11

**CHAPTER 11**

In a deserted playground far off the main road, a blonde haired girl sat alone on a bench.

The weather was cold and grim. The warmth of the previous days had passed and coldness now filled the air as a warning of the upcoming winter. The skies were dark and the wind tore in her clothes and hair, sending chills up her body. There were no families and children around her. The cold had since long scared them away and made them retreat home to their warm houses. She was alone. All alone in a world of cold and darkness.

Minako's hair was greasy, and it was all rugged from being torn by the wind. She was wearing only a thin jacket and she shivered in the cold, but she did not move. She did not care of herself. She did not care of anything anymore. It was too late for that.

The few moments just after she had ran out of Ami's apartment, the adrenaline had pumped in her veins. For a short moment, she had felt the thrill of vengeance. She had felt a rush of egoistic, dark happiness that one only gets from punishing someone who really deserves it.

But as the adrenaline had faded out and her emotions had cooled down, she realized what she had really done. She realized the extent of what had happened, and she understood the terrible consequences that would follow.

Once she had come home and had reunited with her feline guardian, she had not been able to keep the tears inside anymore. Artemis had asked her what had happened, and knowing that she could never hide anything from him, she had tearfully told him what had just transpired.

He had been disgusted. And very angry. It was not often he gave her an all out scolding, but now he had gone the full distance. Minako had not retorted. She had just been sitting there, curled up into a ball and crying while he had spoken his harsh words.

A bully. That's what he had called her. The word was still ringing in Minako's ears. Artemis had reminded her of all the young children that adored Sailor V and had pictures of her on their school bags and clothes. He had reminded her that they looked up to Sailor V as a role model of love and justice. He had then asked her if she felt that what she had just done was appropriate for Sailor V. Minako had not been able to answer. Artemis had then told her that he felt disappointed on a personal level as well. He had offered her to arrange a meeting between her and Ami and be there for her as support, but now she had brutally tossed that opportunity away and instead gone there herself just to be abusive towards her own friend. At that point, Minako had not been able to take it anymore. She had run out of the room sobbing.

She had refused to make contact with anyone for the days that had passed. With the emotional torment inside of her, she was not able to process anything from the outside world. At first, she had tried to hide in her room, but she had not been able to stand the icy silence between her and Artemis, and the feeling of his angry gaze piercing her back in the darkness. Eventually, she had begun staying outdoors as much as possible, only coming home for sleeping and having dinner.

And that was why she was now sitting here, completely devastated. Pain flooded through her heart as she thought of what an idiot she had been. She could have asked for help, she could have tried to have a dialogue with the girls... but she had instead chosen to let her darkest emotions take control of her. She had chosen to throw it all back into Ami's face. And now she would pay the price: losing all the trust and respect of the people around her.

She thought of the other girls – her friends and beloved sisters in war. She wondered what they were doing now. They were probably sitting in a warm room in Rei's shrine, cuddling their beloved little water princess while cursing the behavior of the evil, blonde haired girl.

She knew that they would search for her. She knew that they would find her and force her to answer for her actions. In a normal situation, she would have run away. She would run away from everything and never come back.

But she had no more strength left.

She just wanted it to end. She wanted to start over again.

She was ready to accept defeat. She was ready for any kind of repercussions. Anything, as long as they would take her back.

She was even ready to take all the blame herself. She was ready to apologize to Ami, without expecting an apology in return. Anything was better than suffering alone in silence.

She sighed and looked down into the ground. Over the last days, her anger had gradually faded away. At first, she had tried desperately to cling on to it, keeping the flame of hate alive inside her heart. Hating someone else was so much easier than to admit your own faults.

But the more time that had passed, the harder it had become, and eventually, the heated emotions had vanished and other feelings and memories had crept inside her mind. All the good memories. All the memories of the times when Ami had been kind to her. She had tried to push them away, but they kept playing in a loop inside her head. All the times when Ami had helped her and risked her own life just to protect her. All the times when she had felt that Ami was one of the best friends she had ever had.

She remembered the time when she had contracted a food poisoning and had been forced to lean over the toilet for almost an hour, tossing up the contents of her stomach, and how Ami had been there for her the whole time. How she had held her body and had made sure that her hair did not get into her face, and how she had nursed her back to health like a real doctor once the ordeal was over. She also remembered all the thousands of times when Ami had sacrificed the tiny amount of free time she had just to help her with her homework, patiently explaining the parts over and over again until she had understood them. And not to mention, the countless times Ami had saved her life in all the battles they had been through...

Minako sighed and raised her head. The wind blew in her face. She looked out at the deserted playground. In this cold and colorless environment, the place looked like a cemetery for the dead. The carousels and the slides looked like skeletons of destroyed buildings from a war. An icy crust was forming on a sand box, slowly tuning the soft sand into a hard shell impossible to penetrate.

The scene was a perfect analogy for what she felt inside her heart. She felt like her own soul was a dead wasteland, slowly being taken over by ice, freezing away the last of hope that was left.

She closed her eyes. The only thing she heard was the sound of the wind buzzing in her ears.

Then she heard something else far away behind her.

There were footsteps. And they were slowly approaching.

She did not move. She did not turn her head. She did not have to.

She knew who the footsteps belonged to. Only one person had such soft and reserved steps.

The person stopped next to her, and then there was nothing. No heavy breathing or movement. Just silence. Majestic silence.

Minako did not look up. She was too ashamed and too powerless to do anything.

She sighed and prepared to surrender.

"Rei..."

"I thought I would find you here," the miko answered. Her voice was quiet and neutral as usual.

Minako did not move. She still stared down in the ground. She took a breath and finally let out the feelings in her heart. "Rei... before you say anything, I just want you to listen to me. I just want to say that I am fully aware of what I have done and I am deeply sorry for everything. I am ready to apologize, and I am ready for any hard words or punishment." She lowered her voice to a weak whisper. "I just... cannot go on like this anymore. I want it... I want it to end. I want to move on and put this behind us. And I am... I am ready to do anything to make that happen..."

"Minako..."

Minako quivered a little when she heard Rei's voice. Amidst all the coldness she felt in the air and in her heart, she had detected a faint warmness in the miko's voice.

"Minako," Rei said again. "I did not come here to put blame on you. In fact, there is something I need to tell you."

"What...?"

The miko took a breath. "I know this might sound incredible, but... it turns out that your suspicion about Ami was... correct."

Minako flinched. She gasped for air and turned around to Rei. For the first time since she had arrived, she dared looking at the shrine maiden. She was wearing a long black winter coat over her slender body. Her dark long hair was flowing in the wind, majestically framing her pale, beautiful face. Minako looked into her dark magenta eyes. They were not hostile. They looked back at her with nothing but kindness.

Rei walked around the bench until she stood in front of Minako. She looked up in the sky and closed her eyes. She began explaining to Minako with her steady, informative voice: "Makoto found out about it by coincidence, and Ami confirmed it to us after we put some pressure on her. She had taken vocal lessons at her cram school over the past two weeks. She had specifically practiced Moonlight Maiden, and had apparently told her teacher that she was going to sing it on a performance on the day that was our karaoke night."

She put a hand on Minako's shoulders. Then she sat down next to her.

Minako was speechless. She stared out in the air. "That's... That's..." she whispered. She swallowed a couple of times, trying to gather up strength. Slowly, with a weak voice, she said: "I knew that she must have planned it all. Everything pointed in that direction... but..." She swallowed again. "...deep inside, I still doubted myself... I still had a fear that I was wrong...probably because I have been wrong so many times before in situations like these."

Rei gently brushed her blonde hair. "Your instincts did not betray you. You were right. It was just us who were too ignorant to realize that."

Minako stared out in the air. She wrestled with the feelings she felt inside.

Ami had done it. She had not been wrong.

Ami had set her up. She was guilty. Ami had done something very bad towards her, and she had the right to be very angry at her.

She was free to project all her darkest anger on the blue haired girl. She had the right to disown her.

But for some reason... she did not want to.

She did not understand why, but for some reason, she was not angry at Ami anymore.

She could not put her finger on exactly what it was, but somehow, the new information Rei had given her took away the dark clouds that surrounded her mental picture of Ami.

Somehow, the Ami that she pictured in her mind changed from being a devil in an angel's disguise into... being an ordinary human being.

A human being, with all the faults and imperfections that all humans had. A human being with good and bad sides.

And with that, she also saw the full picture. She was finally able to put everything that had happened in perspective. She realized how pathetic she was. How stupid the whole situation was.

And... no matter how weird it was, she began feeling sorry for the blue haired girl. Not only because what she had done to her, but feel sorry for her generally.

Minako began convulsing. She put her face in her hand. After a few seconds, she began crying. Not from sadness, not from joy, but from simple weakness and exhaustion.

Rei put her arms around the blonde girl and held her close. Minako cried heavily into Rei's shoulder. "I am sorry... I am so sorry for all that happened..."

"It's okay, Minako."

"I'm so stupid," Minako sobbed. "I am so god damn stupid sometimes..."

Rei smiled. "Cannot argue with that."

"I am not worthy of being your friend... I am not worthy of being a leader of the four of us..."

"Don't say that, Minako. It is alright to fall apart sometimes. We all do."

They sat still for a while. Rei did not let go of Minako. She held her closely, giving her the time she needed to calm down. The blonde girl took a few breaths and dried her eyes.

Once Minako had calmed down a little, Rei began telling her in detail of all that had transpired since that night in the apartment. She told Minako about Makoto's discovery of the receipt in Ami's purse, about Makoto's conversation with the vocal coach, and the confrontation that had ensued in the shrine with Ami as result. Minako sat still listening. Her eyes grew bigger and bigger the more she heard of Rei's story.

Once Rei was finished, Minako stared out in the air for a while without saying anything. Then she turned to Rei and looked at her with confused eyes. "I wonder why she would do something like that...?" she mumbled. "Why couldn't she just... be open about it? Why couldn't she just tell us that she was taking those lessons? Sure, I would probably have bitched about it a little, but then it would only have been my fault. Instead, she does this whole thing..."

"Maybe it's not so strange after all," Rei said and stroke her long hair away from her own shoulders. "If you think about it, Ami has been scorned and frozen out for her skills and talents all her life. That is not very easy when you have such a competitive and perfectionist personality. Maybe she was simply too afraid to show her true self? Perhaps she thought it would be better to hide it away from us, but then misjudged the whole situation? And instead of having just a little challenge for herself, everything went out of hand, and only caused us all a lot of pain and heartache."

Minako nodded quietly. She then bit her lip and looked down in the ground. "I... I feel sorry for her...for Ami..."

"That shows that you are a good person," Rei said.

"I... I did something very bad to her..." Minako whispered, cringing a bit inside. "I was very rude to her..."

"Yes, you were," Rei said softly and touched her cheek. "That was not a very good thing to do."

Minako took a deep breath. "I must apologize to her for what I did."

Rei nodded. "You must."

They sat still in silence for several moments. The wind had eased a little, no longer tugging heavily on their hair and clothes.

Minako put her elbows on her knees and put her chin in her hands. She sighed and looked at her friend. "Why are we human beings so evil sometimes? Why do we do such bad things against each other?"

Rei exhaled thoughtfully. "I don't think that humans are evil. I think it is our actions that are evil. I think humans are... weak. I think that we easily give in to harmful emotions like temptation, lust, and selfishness, and that is what causes the pain and misery."

Minako nodded. She sighed again and raised her back. Rei stood up and then helped the blonde girl stand up. Minako sighed and looked into Rei's dark eyes.

"Are you feeling better now?" the shrine maiden asked.

"Yes, a whole lot," Minako said, her voice still a bit shaky. "Thank you, Rei. Thank you for being such a good friend."

"Don't mention it," Rei said with a little smile. She brushed Minako's hair again. "Don't worry about Luna and the other girls. They all forgive you, and they want you back. And we will help you make up with Ami again, whatever it takes. We will make sure you get an opportunity to apologize to her, and make her feel safe enough to apologize to you. And after that, we want the both of you to leave all this behind."

"Thank you, Rei..." Minako said, trying to sound determined. "Yes, I will. I am ready to apologize to her, and I want nothing more than to make up and move on."

Rei smiled and rubbed a strand of greasy, blonde hair between her fingers.

"You should get inside before you catch a cold," she said, "and you should clean yourself up. You do look like a mess." She softly slapped the other girl's cheek. "That's not much of an idol, is it? You're not going to win any contests looking like this."

Minako chuckled lightly. For the first time that day, she broke out in a weak smile. "Yes, of course," she mumbled.

"You know what...?" Rei said and put an arm around her shoulder as she began walking. "Why don't you come home to me and get a hot shower and a little rest? You could use some company, and I think you would like that more than to go home, don't you? In fact, why don't you spend the night at my place?"

Minako nodded. "Thank you, Rei. I really appreciate that." A wave of insecurity then filled her eyes. "Will the others come over as well tonight?"

Rei smiled. "Not tonight. We'll save the big meeting for tomorrow, and we will then talk about the best way to contact Ami. For tonight you can just relax. Let's now go."

Walking closely together, the two girls left the icy playground behind and headed for the shrine of the fire priestess. As they passed out through the gate of the playground, Minako turned her head and looked at Rei.

"How did you find me anyway?" she asked the raven haired girl.

Rei looked away, some uncertainty showing in her eyes. "I searched for you using... unofficial channels..."

Minako smiled a little. "Were you doing your fire thing?"

Rei closed her eyes and nodded. "Yes."

"So it was you I felt there before," Minako said quietly and looked at her friend. "About thirty minutes ago I felt like something suddenly touched me inside my body. Something warm. That was you, wasn't it?"

"Most likely," Rei said again.

Minako smiled at her and nudged her softly in the side with her elbow. "It does not allow for a lot of privacy when your friend has skills like that. You could spy on us anytime you want."

Rei shook her head softly. "I cannot reach the spirit of someone who rejects me. It was you who called for me, Minako. Not the other way around."

Minako looked down in the ground. "Yes," she said quietly. "Deep in my heart, I wanted nothing more."

Rei nodded and gave her friend a smile. "Now let's get you cleaned up. Just a little walk and we'll be at my place."

They kept on walking. As Minako saw the silhouette of the Hikawa shrine appear on the hills far off in the distance, she felt an immense exhaustion filling her body. She yawned quietly and leaned softly on Rei's shoulder as the miko led her towards the stairs up to the hills.

* * *

In a room in a luxurious building far away, sat a blue haired girl all alone in the darkness. The rain was pouring down heavily outside, the drops slamming at the window.

There was a soft knocking on the door. "Ami?" a female voice said.

The girl did not answer.

"Ami, honey... why won't you come out of your room?" the voice said. "Are you feeling ill?"

Still no answer.

"Ami, please..." the voice pleaded. "Why won't you talk to me? I took the evening off from the hospital so that we could spend time together tonight. Has something happened? Have I done something that upset you?"

The knocking and the pleas from the person on the other side of the door continued for a few more minutes until they finally ceased. Then there was nothing but silence.

The blue haired girl sat curled up on her bed. She had not moved an inch and she did not say a word.

The rain and wind outside intensified, slowly turning the autumn rainfall into a storm.


	12. Chapter 12

**CHAPTER 12**

**Thursday**

Two days had passed since the heated argument in the Hikawa shrine. Over the last days, she had not done much else but reading books and studying intensely. She woke up in the morning, went to the library or her cram school, and then went home. The only few times she caught any daylight was while travelling between different locations. Burying herself in books was the only thing that kept her negative thoughts away.

She had not seen her friends since that day, nor had she made any attempt at contacting them. They had indeed tried to contact her. She had first received a rather honest and detailed message from them on her communicator about organizing a meeting so that they could all make up. Ami had not responded. That message had then been followed by several individual calls and messages from the girls, both on the communicator and on her home phone, but she had refused to answer any of them. The shock and hurt still lingered in her heart.

Ami shook her head and tried to shake off the negative thoughts. She would not think of this. In her head, she began going over all the mathematic formulas and problems she had read about during the day. As she walked out through the big double doors of the library, she pulled her jacket closer over herself. The last days it had only got colder and colder, and at the moment, the sky was covered in dark clouds. She felt the rain was approaching.

And just a few minutes after processing that thought, the rain finally came. As in an attempt to mock her, the skies opened and poured their content down on her head.

Great, just great. As if she needed any more misery. She was now right in the middle of an area with nothing more than parks and apartment buildings. There were no cafes or shops to shelter in, there was no bus stop anywhere in sight, and even the usually so-orderly Ami had no umbrella.

She sighed and quickened her pace. The cold, merciless rain poured down on her frail body. Irritation rose inside of her as she felt her hair and clothes become damp. She turned her head and saw two little children staring back at her through a window. The two children, a boy and a girl who seemed to be warm and comfortable, looked at her with much interest and amusement as she was standing there alone all soaked in the rain. Ami gritted her teeth in frustration and moved on.

After a little while, she finally approached the train station. She began moving even quicker, longing deeply to get inside and escape the rain, if only temporarily.

Then she suddenly stopped dead in her tracks. Hopelessness filled her heart as she stared at the sign in front of the station doors. The station had suddenly closed for repairs and was not open for the public, and since the station was so small, there were no other rooms or shelters available.

Ami cursed under her breath as she stood still in front of the closed station while the endless rain fell down on her, soaking her completely. Her hair felt like a sticky, cold rag, and the wetness from the rain slowly made its way through her jacket and into her blouse. She closed her eyes and felt the depression rising inside of her.

Then suddenly, the rain stopped pouring down on her head. Her eyes opened in surprise. The weather had not changed. Water drops were still heavily pouring down on the ground around her and she could clearly hear the smatter as they hit the asphalt. So why was nothing pouring on her head?

"A pretty girl like you should not stand alone in the rain. It looks so tragic," a deep, male voice said.

Ami jumped in surprise. She had not heard that somebody had been behind her. She quickly turned around to face the man who had sneaked up on her. She got a quite a shock when she saw his face.

It was Mamoru.

Mamoru Chiba, Usagi's boyfriend, stood in front of her. He was dressed in a long and thick coat. He had his classical sarcastic smile on his face, but his eyes were warm and concerned. She now saw why the rain had stopped falling on her head. Mamoru carried an umbrella, and he held it out over her to shelter her from the stormy weather.

"Always a gentleman, I see," Ami said, trying to keep her voice neutral.

As thankful as she was for his nice gesture towards her, she was in fact not so happy to see him. She liked Mamoru very much and was normally always very happy when she was with him. It was just that she did not want to meet him now. Not here, with the situation being the way it was. No matter how much of a good person he was, there was a fact that he had a strong bond with Usagi, and she did not want to talk to anyone right now who had a connection to her friends. At the same time, she knew Mamoru had nothing to do with what had played out between the girls a few days ago. He had only seen her alone in the rainstorm without an umbrella and wanted to be kind to her. And as shy as Ami was, she did not have the heart to give him the cold shoulder.

"Why are you out here all alone, Ami? And with no umbrella, to top it off? You're going to catch a cold," Mamoru said. His voice was smooth and friendly, displaying genuine worry about her.

"I'm on my way home from the library and I got surprised by this rainstorm. I forgot to bring my umbrella," she answered politely.

"It's not like you to forget such an essential thing on an autumn day. The clouds in the sky were dark already this morning," Mamoru replied with a small smirk on his face. Then his gaze got a little bit sharper. "Your mind must be really occupied with something heavy if you forget something like that. Is everything alright with you?"

Ami flinched when she heard the question. "Y-yes, I'm fine. Nothing is wrong. I just... I've got a lot to do at the moment so my mind was completely on that..." she mumbled, aware of how insecure she sounded.

"Okay," Mamoru said. If he suspected something, his voice did not reveal it. "You do sound a little edgy," he added.

"Oh, that... well, anyone who was in a heavy rain like this with no umbrella would be a bit edgy, you know," Ami quickly replied, forcing herself to smile.

"Of course." Mamoru smiled. "You know what, Ami? I hate seeing you being here all alone in the cold rain. And you obviously cannot get on a train here as the station is shut down. Why don't we go up to my place together and wait there until the rain has passed?"

Oh no. Ami had completely forgotten. This was the area where Mamoru lived, and despite her desire to not meeting anyone of her friends or acquaintances, she had mindlessly chosen the route right next to his home. She cursed her own stupidity.

"N-no, that's okay," she quickly said. "I'll be okay, really. My home is not that far away. I don't need to take the train. I should go now."

"Ami, please," Mamoru said, his voice now more firm than before. "You're completely soaked, it's quickly getting dark, and you have no umbrella. Please come to my apartment with me. It's only until the rain ceases. It won't take long."

"I don't want to waste your time," Ami mumbled, clearly hearing how childish she sounded.

"Helping a friend in need is never wasting time," he said. Ami sighed inside. That was so like him. Always high on the morals and always ready to back it up with a speech.

"I have a lot I need to do... Lots to read and all that..."

"And you carry the books in your bag, don't you?" Mamoru said and pointed to her school bag. "You can study at my place."

Ami gritted her teeth in frustration. Then a loud and heavy sneeze grabbed her by surprise.

"Come on now, Ames," Mamoru said. He stroked her wet hair with his hand. "If you walk home in the rain now you _are_ going to catch a cold, and we both know that. Come with me to my apartment. Please."

Ami realized that she had no options. As much as she hated to admit it, Mamoru's suggestion was rational, and she was indeed starting to feel very cold and tired. Besides, the thought of getting inside and getting a hot cup of tea was very tempting.

But before she gave in, there was one thing she had to find out.

"Is anybody in your apartment right now?"

It came out more forcefully than she had wanted it to.

"No one is there."

"And no one will come over?"

"There will only be you and me there, Ami."

"If you lie to me..." She could not stop her voice from trembling slightly.

"I would never lie to a friend, Ami, and you know that."

She looked into his brown, warm eyes. There was no bad intent there. He was telling the truth. She could not believe anything else.

"Alright then," she sighed. "I'll go with you."

"A good decision," he replied with a smile.

* * *

The man and the younger girl entered the apartment. Mamoru helped Ami take off her jacket. He then took her bag and put it on a table inside the hall. He opened the bag and examined its contents, carefully making sure that no water from the surface got inside.

"It seems all the books are alright," he said to her. "They are all dry and undamaged."

"I'm very thankful for that," Ami said with relief in her voice. "It wouldn't have been good if all those books borrowed from the library would be ruined." She then looked at the table where the bag was and bit her lip when she saw the wet puddle that had formed on the surface. "I'm sorry for messing up your home like this with my wet clothes and items," she mumbled.

"Don't worry about that, I'll clean it up," Mamoru said and gave her a warm smile. "You know, why don't you go to my bedroom and get out of those wet clothes so we can let them dry? I'll be in the kitchen in the meantime and make us some warm tea." He then let out a little cough of slight embarrassment. "I'm sorry that I have no spare clothes in your size. Sometimes Usagi leaves some of her clothes here, but she took them all home recently. I suggest you put on one of my bathrobes for the time being. It may be a bit big for you, but it will keep you warm and dry."

"It's no problem at all," Ami quickly replied. "I'm very thankful."

"Let's meet out in the living room once you're done and the tea is ready," he said to her. Ami nodded and walked inside his bedroom and closed the door while Mamoru went out in the kitchen and put on the water boiler. After about five minutes the tea was ready and Mamoru brought the kettle and two cups with him out to the living room. He sat down in one of the arm chairs and waited. After a few more minutes, Ami came inside the room. She had wrapped a towel around her wet hair and was wearing one of his bath robes, which looked quite oversized on her. The sleeves went all the way down, completely covering her hands.

Mamoru could not help letting out a chuckle. "I'm so sorry, Ami. It is really way too big for you. I wish Usagi had left some of her clothes here..."

"No no, it's perfectly fine," Ami said, her cheeks slightly red. "It sure beats wearing those wet clothes. And it's actually very warm and comfortable, like you said."

She sat down in the sofa next to the arm chair Mamoru sat in. Mamoru poured up some steaming hot tea in the two cups and then gave one of them to the girl. Ami had to pull up the sleeve to get her hand free to grab the cup. She blew some air on the tea to cool it down and then carefully took a little sip.

"How is it?" Mamoru asked her.

"It's lovely," Ami said quietly. "I really enjoy green tea."

"It's imported from China," Mamoru said with a nod. "Bought downtown in that tea store."

"How nice," Ami said with a little smile. "I have always wanted to go there, but I never found the time."

Mamoru nodded again and took another sip of his tea. They sat still for a while, letting the relaxation set in.

After a few moments, Mamoru looked at Ami. He was feeling a bit worried when he saw her face. She was staring down into the tea cup and there was something hard in her eyes. Something he could not really identify.

He put his cup of tea on the table and straightened his back. "Ami," he said as softly as he could. "Pardon me for bringing it up again, but I would like to ask you: are you really feeling okay? Like I said out there on the street, you seem to be a bit edgy. Almost a bit indignant."

"I'm fine," she replied quickly. Her voice did not reveal anything, but there was a small flash in her eyes.

Despite her assurance, he could see that something was not right with the blue haired girl. The tensed expression she had on her lips and the way she avoided his gaze by looking down in the tea cup were clear signs that she was really troubled.

Mamoru leaned back in his arm chair. He watched the bluenette, thoughtfully studying her features. He could not help feeling that Ami looked like such a helpless little creature at certain times – with her slim neck, her petite hands, her pale skin, and especially those big blue eyes that always seemed to be filled with some sadness, regardless if the rest of her face was smiling. He sighed inwards. Ami was a very complicated person to deal with. In one sense, she was the most mature of the five girls, at least intellectually. As soft spoken and kind hearted as she was, she was rarely the one who lost grip of herself. Usually, her intellectual prowess allowed her to take a step outside of herself and analyze the situation rationally, even in the most dramatic moments. This was something that he had never felt with the other girls, not even Rei.

But Ami could have her darker moments too. When something had really hurt her deeply, she took a long time to recover. When something was so big that not even her powerful mind could handle it, she escaped by shutting herself. Once she had hidden inside her thick shell, it was very difficult to make her open up. In a sense, this put even more of a strain on him than the usual bouts he had with Usagi. His girlfriend surely sucked a lot of energy out of him with her frequent tantrums and escapades, but the comfort was always that she regained her happiness very quickly. Once Usagi had poured out all her anger and tears, that childlike joy returned at once.

This was now not the case with the girl sitting in front of him. She was shut tight like a clam, refusing even to look him in the eyes. Mamoru sat up again and tried to look the girl into her eyes. "Ami, I am sorry for digging into this, but it really hurts me when I see you like that. Someone as happy and cheerful as you should not look so sad."

"I'm not sad. I'm just a little tired," she replied with a monotone voice.

"Come on now," he said softly. "We always talk to each other about our problems, don't we? Whenever you felt down you would always come to me, and I would always listen. So please, don't hide from me now." He leaned forwards and softly touched her hand. "You can at least look at me, can't you? Right, Ames?"

She raised her head and looked him into the eyes. Her blue irises were filled with sadness. It was a start, at least. "Alright..." she said quietly. "I'm sorry about that, Mamoru. I know you are kind to me and wish me the best. I'm a bit ungrateful."

"You do not have to be sorry about anything, Ami. Just be honest with me, that's all I am asking for." He took a breath. "So... what is it that bothers you?"

"I don't know... I guess I'm just tired..." she mumbled.

She was not giving him an opening. He realized he had to dig out the answers himself.

He looked her into the eyes. "How about I ask you some questions, and you just answer yes or no?" he asked softly. "Would that be okay for you?"

Ami shrugged and then swallowed. "I guess."

Mamoru nodded. "Okay. Let's do that." He took a breath and began: "Is it something with your parents?"

Ami shook her head.

"Any problems in school?"

"There's no problem with that," she responded quietly.

Alright. He decided to go full on and grab the bull by the horns. "Has it got something to do with your friends? Is there something going on between you and the other girls?" he asked softly.

The light quivering in her body confirmed his suspicions. She sighed slowly.

"It has something to do with your friends, hasn't it?" he said softly.

"Well... things are a little difficult at the moment," she said quietly, almost like a whisper.

"I see," he said. He then looked her into the eyes again. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Ami pursed her lips together. "I don't know really..." she eventually said. She then looked at him with suspicion in her eyes. "I guess you want me to."

"Only if it feels okay for you," Mamoru quickly replied. "But to tell the truth, I think you would feel much better if you would tell me what is on your mind."

"I'm not sure you will like what you hear," Ami said quietly. The stubborn, suspicious look was still in her eyes.

Mamoru held up his hands. "You can tell me anything. You know you can be honest with me, Ami. Whatever it is that's on your mind, you can say it."

Ami looked at him again. She was chewing her lip slightly. Some suspicion remained in her eyes. "Okay..." she said. "However, if you want me to be honest, I need you to be honest with me as well. You have talked to Usagi, haven't you? If I know Usagi correctly, she would want to talk through this with someone close to her. She has told you about what has happened, hasn't she?" Her voice cracked a bit. "What exactly did she say to you?"

He looked at the girl with admiration. There was no way of fooling someone with her brains.

"I will always be honest with you, Ami," he said. "Yes, I and Usagi have spoken. But what she told me was only fragments. After all, I only know the very little I could pick out from between all her sobbing. You know how she is with retelling things, especially when she is upset. She starts in the middle, skips to the end, jumps back to the beginning and adds new details to the scenes she has already told."

To his happiness and surprise, a small smile appeared on the girl's lips for a few seconds. It seemed his comment had made her relax a little. "Yes, I can imagine it was like that," she said. "Usagi is not exactly the most consistent story teller."

"Far from it," Mamoru said with a smile. "From what I heard, the whole thing had something to do with a karaoke session that went wrong, and then some problems between you and Minako. Usagi said something about that you had made a plan against Minako, and that she had thrown a fit and had been very rude against you."

Ami took a breath through her nose and her face tensed up again. Mamoru realized he had hit a nerve. He had to tread carefully now. "So that's what she said?" the girl muttered. She looked him straight into the eyes as if to challenge him. "Well... and I guess you want to interrogate me now to see if she was telling the truth or not?"

Mamoru took her hand. "Ami, I would _never_ interrogate you, and you know that. I am neither on your side, nor Usagi's. I do not take any stance in this matter. What I _am_ concerned with is making you feel better, and I think that you will feel much better if you tell me the story from the beginning the way you see it."

Ami took a while before she answered. She took a breath and stared out of the windows thoughtfully. "Well, what happened was basically... I discovered I had some talent for singing, and that I really enjoyed it. I used to be too shy to even try it out in front of the others, but then I was at the karaoke, and I had to sing this song, and then..." Ami's eyes became a bit warmer. "...I realized how much I loved it."

"That sounds nice," Mamoru said. "Was there a problem with the others when you were singing?"

Ami shook her head. "Nothing happened that time. It was the karaoke we had after that. That's where everything went wrong." She took another breath. Irritation started to fill her eyes. "Between the first and second karaoke session, I decided to take some singing lessons to improve my technique. I got in touch with a teacher at my cram school. I've known him for years, and he was happy to give some training. It was no big deal. Besides, it was nice to get to do something else than just studying and fighting monsters."

"I can surely understand that," Mamoru said. "If someone deserves a break from all her tasks and duties, it is you."

"Thanks." The small smile appeared again for a fraction of a second, then her eyes tensed again. "The problems started when we had our next karaoke session two weeks later. That's when all the mess with Minako started..." Her voice drifted off. She took a breath and continued. "I sang the same song that I had sung the last time, the one that I had practiced during my singing lessons. Minako, she couldn't..." Ami gritted her teeth. Her voice became rawer. "...she couldn't handle it. She got jealous of me for some reason. God knows why. I think it was because I had chosen to sing a song that she had planned to sing that night. She stormed out to the bathroom while I was singing. When she came back, she was so angry seeing the other girls being happy for my sake. And do you know what she did after that?" Ami looked Mamoru straight in the eyes, finishing the sentence before he had a chance to answer: "She makes up some dumb lie about that she became ill all of a sudden, and then she rushes out of the place. Isn't that childish?"

Mamoru watched the frustrated girl. He gave her a smile of comfort and understanding. "That was childish, yes. However, as absurd it sounds, I can imagine that Mina would do something like that. She is very territorial when it comes to her special areas – singing and performing."

"That is no excuse for acting like that," Ami replied bitterly. Then her eyes became very sad. She looked at Mamoru and said: "And the day after that, she did something _really_ bad to me."

Ami's lips were trembling slightly. Mamoru took her hand into his and rubbed it gently. "Ami," he said quietly. "Tell me what she did to you."

His face slowly changed from curiosity to disgust as Ami told him about the scene when Minako had barged into her home and completely broken her down.

"My goodness..." he whispered. "I could never believe she would do something like that." He was indeed very shocked about what he had just heard. He knew about Minako's character, how intensely she felt about things and the wild mood swings she could have, but this was definitely taking it a step too far. "You must really have hit a nerve for her to act up like that," he said softly, rubbing Ami's hand. "I had never thought she would act out like that against a friend."

"Neither did I," Ami said, sniffing quietly. "But she did, and it really broke me down."

"I perfectly understand. She gave you a low blow with the full intention to hurt you. That was unacceptable."

"Definitely," Ami said. "But the whole story does not stop there..."

"Okay. Please go on."

Ami took another breath, gathering up strength to conclude her story. "After the encounter with Minako, I felt so devastated. I was sad and frightened, and I desperately needed to talk to someone. Mum was working late at the hospital again, so I called up the other girls. And they came. They comforted me and took care of me, and I was so happy when they did. I felt like they were really true friends..." She closed her eyes and sat still for a while. Her breathing slowly got heavier. Finally, she spoke out with a thick voice: "But the next time we met, everything had changed. Everything!"

"What had changed, Ami? What happened?"

Ami became more agitated. She took a few breaths, forcing herself to continue. "All of a sudden, they were angry at me. They thought that it was _my_ fault that everything had happened! They were angry that I had taken singing lessons. They were angry I had sung the song Minako had wanted to sing. They said that they understood why Minako had been so angry and had lashed out on me." Ami swallowed hard, continuing with a choppy voice. "They were sitting there, all of them – Rei, Makoto, Usagi, and Luna – just scolding me. Four people tossing negative words and insults right in my face. They said I was rude. They said I was a bad person!"

Ami cringed. It looked like she was fighting to hold back tears. After a while, she continued: "And Makoto, do you know what she did? She had gone over to my cram school and talked to the people there. She was snooping around in my personal life, searching for things to use against me, and once she had gathered up enough material, she revealed all of it in front of all the others, making me look like a really bad person!" She tied her fist heavily. "They had no right to do such a thing!" she sniffed.

"No, Ami, you are correct. They had no right to do so." Mamoru answered her, stroking her arm gently. "It was a rude thing to do."

Ami sighed. Her breathing was still heavy, but seemed to slowly return to normal.

"What happened after that?" Mamoru asked her.

"Well..." Ami mumbled, "We had a heavy argument and I left the place..."

"And since then, you have not had any contact?"

"None at all."

Mamoru opened his eyes in surprise. "None at all? They didn't even try to contact you?"

"Well..." Ami's gaze dropped to her knees. All of a sudden, she seemed to be a bit uncomfortable. "Alright, they have sent a few text messages on the communicator and have tried to call me once or twice, but..." She took a breath. "I just wasn't in the mood yet. I need to get over it first." She shot him a stubborn look. "I don't care if you judge me or think that I am childish."

"I would never judge you, Ami," he said. "I perfectly understand that you want to calm down and sort things out for yourself first before trying to reconcile."

This seemed to make her relax a bit again.

"Now," he continued, "you said you were having an argument. What happened there? Did the others just sit there throwing insults in your face?"

"Pretty much, yes."

"You did not try to explain to them what had really happened? You did not defend yourself against their rude remarks?"

Ami looked down. "More or less..."

"More or less?"

"Well, I..." she hesitated. Then she looked down in the floor again. "Alright... Truth to be told, I..." She took a breath. "I said some bad things as well. I said a lot of things I didn't mean..." She tied her fists lightly. "...but it was only in the heat of the moment. I was upset of what they said to me, so I countered their insults. It came out harsher than I wanted it to be, but... what's done is done..."

"I see," Mamoru said. "Well, it is easy to go a bit too far when we are unbalanced. It happens to everyone."

"I know," Ami mumbled. She looked a bit ashamed. "Admittedly, it has happened for them too sometimes..."

Mamoru nodded in acknowledgement. "Can you tell me what exactly they said to you, if you remember? Did they say what they were so upset about?"

A quick flash of fear tingled in Ami's eyes. "Oh, I... Well, they said so many things. It is difficult to remember all of it..."

"Of course," Mamoru said and smiled warmly at her. "but do you remember anything in particular? Was there something special they remarked upon?"

"Well..." Ami was quiet for a while, then she sighed and said with a tired voice: "Alright. Basically, they were angry with me because I had taken those singing lessons without telling anyone of them. I don't know why. I mean, it's not like they are my guardians whom I need to report my actions to every single hour." She frowned. "I may do whatever I want in my spare time, and I do not have to tell anyone if I don't want to. It's not like they can force me to."

"You are right," Mamoru said. "Of course you are allowed to do anything you want to do, and of course you don't need to tell anyone."

"Yes, exactly," Ami said with a small smile. "Thank you for understanding."

"No problem at all," Mamoru said and smiled back, then he looked a bit concerned again. "Ami, just out of curiosity, may I ask why you did not tell your friends about your singing lessons? You're normally not the secretive person. I have always seen you as someone who is open to others about her life. For example, do you remember that time when you participated in that essay contest? You told all of us everything about the rules and procedures and how much the whole thing meant to you, and you let us read all the drafts and rewrites of your essay until it was finished. And as I remember it, everyone was really interested in hearing you talking about it."

Even though she tried to hide it, he could detect a small flinch going through her body. At once, she became a lot more defensive, avoiding his gaze. "I don't know," she said stubbornly. "I didn't really think about it. And I didn't think it would be that big of a deal either... Anyway, I don't want to talk about it..." She looked away.

"That is fine. I will not push you," Mamoru said softly. "I just thought it was a bit unusual for you."

Ami did not answer. She stared down in her tea cup for a while and then took another sip of it. Mamoru looked at the girl with concerned eyes, but eventually decided to drop the subject. He felt that there was something amiss. Something was just not right with the events that had passed. However, more than anything, he did not want to make his friend feel uncomfortable, and it was true that she did not have any obligation to tell him. He was just her friend, not her guardian. The only thing he could offer was moral support and be there for her when she needed him.

They sat in silence for a while. Mamoru watched the rain pouring down outside the window. It still came down in a steady drizzle, but it seemed the worst part of it had passed. The showers were not as heavy as before, and the smattering sound when the drops hit the glass was not as loud as it had been a while ago.

He heard Ami take a breath and looked back to the girl. She looked a bit different than before. She was clutching the tea cup sternly with both her hands. A frown had appeared between her eyes.

"Are you alright?" he asked. "You look like there is something bothering you."

"No... it's just..." she mumbled. She took another breath as if to get a hold of herself, but a quick tremble went through her body. "I've been thinking a bit..." she mumbled to herself.

"Ami?" Mamoru asked with a worried voice.

Ami sighed deeply and put down the tea cup on the table. "Alright..." she said quietly. "Maybe I should have been open to them about taking singing lessons. Maybe that would have been for the best..."

Mamoru knew that look in her eyes. "What do you mean?" he asked.

Ami sighed and slumped down a bit. She put her hands around her knees. She started speaking again, and this time most of the anger had faded away from her voice. Instead, it sounded a bit weaker than before. "They all felt it was rude of me to take singing lessons and go up and sing Minako's favorite song like that. Minako felt I was backstabbing her. The other girls, they thought..." She hesitated. "...they thought it was insensitive of me to do so." She took a deep breath. Her blue eyes were piercing the tea cup. "They thought I could have been open with it and shared my knowledge with Minako..."

Mamoru watched the girl silently as he began realizing what was going on. Inside his brain, the pieces of the puzzle started to fall in place.

Ami pulled herself up again. She tied her hands and put them on her knees. She looked him deep into the eyes, frustration and tension shining inside her irises. "Yeah, so maybe it was a bit rude what I did, but I still think..." she took a breath, her voice slowly becoming louder as she spoke. "I still think they overreacted. And there is one thing which I think they don't respect with me. They talked all the time of how disrespectful I was against Minako, but they're not listening to what I feel inside. That's unfair!"

"What is it that they did not listen to?" Mamoru asked.

Ami sighed. Irritation got into her eyes and her voice became stronger. "What I mean is that I am tired of always holding back, always having to put a chain on my abilities just to make sure I do not step on somebody else's toes. It is always like that. It has always been like that..."

Mamoru silently watched the girl who was now flaring up in front of him. Her blue eyes nailed him down in a tight grip.

"I want to fight, Mamoru," she said, "I want to _excel_. I want to push myself to the best of my abilities, and I want to improve all the time. I love pushing myself. I love working hard and harvesting the fruits of that hard work. It's not bad for me! I'm not straining myself, I never feel more alive than when I do that!"

She made a fist with her right hand.

"I used to feel the jealousy of my classmates all the time when I was younger. I felt their hate burning behind my back. Anytime I came out with the best result in class, they always hated me. But I never stepped on them myself. I always tried to be friendly towards them. And I would have helped them if they had asked for it. But still, they hated me. Still, they were jealous of me and only wanted to see me break down..."

She pressed her palms against her thighs.

"And when I found friends – _real_ friends, I thought I could finally be the one I wanted to be. I thought I could finally push myself as hard as I wanted without risking being hated, to have friends who would cheer for me no matter how high I soared... alas, it seems I was wrong..." Ami took a deep breath and rubbed her hand on her nose. She looked up at Mamoru. "I guess you don't agree with me."

Mamoru put down the tea cup on the table. "Ami, I do agree with you. I fully agree to what you say. You are right in that no one should hold you back in life, especially not your four closest friends." He gave her a warm smile. "In my opinion, there is nothing more beautiful than a girl who can be what she wants to be. Someone who faces every challenge that comes in her way and conquers these challenges with all her strength and determination. Nothing fills my heart with such joy as seeing a woman who is strong and independent and has succeeded with her goals and dreams in life."

Ami smiled warmly, her cheeks flaring a bit in pink. "You only say that to cheer me up," she mumbled, but he could easily tell that she was touched by what she had just heard.

He chuckled. "I do say it to cheer you up, but it is also my honest opinion. And I must say it feels nice seeing you smile again, Ami. The sadness and anger do not fit a pretty girl like you."

"Thank you. It means a lot to me to hear you say that..." she said. "You're truly a great guy, Mamoru. It feels..." Her voice trembled a bit. "It feels good having your support."

"It is my duty to support you when you feel alone and abandoned," he said softly. "But even if it was not my duty, I would help such a sweet person like you anytime you were in trouble." He could see that she was more relaxed now, and it made him happy.

Ami rubbed her temples a bit, then a small look of sadness came over her face. "Okay then," she sighed. "I am aware of that pushing myself can have bad side effects for other people. If I sang that song better than Minako, then there's nothing I can do about it. It does not mean that her vocal ability is worthless. It just means that mine was slightly better, right?" Ami looked at Mamoru with pleading eyes. "If I get the highest score in my class on a test, naturally, that means everybody else will have a lower score. That means that _I_, and only I, will be in the number one spot, and that no one else will be at number one. That's just how it is, isn't it?"

"That is right," Mamoru said. He was choosing his words carefully inside his head. He had found an opening. It was dangerous territory, but he decided to take the chance. He looked her into the eyes and continued. "But I want to ask you something, Ami. Are you sure you work as hard as you do only because you like to? Are you sure you don't do it because you want to reach the number one spot just for the sake of it?"

Ami frowned slightly. "Absolutely not. Why would I want to do that? Numbers and positions mean nothing to me. They never have."

"Really?" he said. He gave her a sly, but kind look. "You told me you wanted to go to Tokyo University's medical faculty after graduating high school. And after graduating from university, you wanted to become a doctor working for Japan National Hospital. That's the top rated medical institutions of the country in their respective stages. Are you saying it is just a coincidence that you are aiming for those particular institutions?"

He saw the wave of surprise and irritation that came over the girl. "Well, I..." she said. "Those institutions do have some of the best reputations, staff and equipment of all medical faculties in the whole country."

Mamoru winked his eye as to tease her. "True, but are you _really_ sure you are not also into it a little bit for the money and the prestige?"

"No, I'm not!" Ami said and shook her head, seemingly very annoyed by his suggestion.

"Come on now, Ami," he said with a smile. "Don't tell me you would not want that high salary, a golden plaque on your office door saying 'Dr. Mizuno', and the reputation of working at Japan's biggest hospital."

This seemed to take the girl off guard a bit. She hesitated. "Well... I mean... yes of course a good salary would be nice in a way, but..." She did not manage to stop her cheeks from getting a little red.

He decided to make his move. It was now or never. "Okay, let's get serious. You want to know something, Ami?" He put his hands on the table as to mark his seriousness. Then he looked her straight into the eyes. "I do."

"Huh?" The girl made big eyes.

Mamoru leaned back into the sofa and shrugged. "I want that high salary and prestigious title," he said. "I long to the day when I will have my own big office, a nice and big apartment, and when people will bow to me in the corridor and title me as 'Dr. Chiba'. As shallow as it sounds, I cannot deny that I fantasize about that time, and I am really looking forward to when that day comes."

Ami stared at him for a moment, then something could be seen in her eyes. The tiredness and insecurity slowly faded away and was replaced by amusement. Then she let out a little giggle. Her face went red and she put her hand to her mouth, but she could not stop the giggles from coming out. Mamoru smiled back at her and could not help chuckling along with the girl.

"Oh, I'm... I'm sorry, Mamoru," Ami tried to blurt out between the giggles. "I just..."

"It's alright, Ami," Mamoru said and gave the girl a heartwarming smile. "It is indeed a shallow and childish feeling, but it is the complete truth, and besides, you deserve a good laugh today."

"No really," Ami said while trying to cool down. She took a deep breath and focused on her floor to clear her senses. The red color in her face slowly faded away. "I didn't mean to laugh, but it's just that—" she took one more breath, then she looked him in the eyes with a cute, little mischievous look, "...I never thought that _you_ would say something like that. It's so unlike the way you usually speak and behave. When you stand there in front of our enemies, as Tuxedo Kamen, you make all these bold speeches of honor and justice, and now—" another giggle escaped her mouth, "...you're sitting here talking about _money_ and _titles_!"

"Guilty as charged," Mamoru replied and put up a faked look of sadness on his face, which made the water princess giggle again. "I have always had those dreams, but I do know what to say and when to say it." He winked his eye. "And after all, we cannot let our enemies find about our flaws, can we?"

"Absolutely not," Ami said with a smile. "But you should know that you really had me and all the others fooled big time. You're a pretty good actor, you know."

"Thank you," he said, happy to see her in such a good mood. "And now it's your turn, young lady," he said and pointed his finger at her, pretending to be strict. "Tell me the truth now. You do want the money and prestige that comes with being a doctor at the finest hospital in the country, right?"

Ami looked at him, her eyes still filled with amusement, but she did not respond. "Well..." she said. She blushed slightly and looked around the room before finally giving up. She looked back into his eyes and took a breath. "Alright. Yes, I do want that. I want a high salary, I want a big office, I want to live in a grand apartment, and I want people to bow to me and call me 'Dr. Mizuno'." Her blush intensified, as if she had just uttered some forbidden words. "To tell the truth," she continued, "I have always felt that way and I think it comes from my mother. I see how people look up to her, how much they respect her, how much money she makes, and I want to have all that too. When she and I are out in the city, all men that we meet automatically assume that she is a house wife. I can barely hide my laughter when they find out that she is a doctor, and how their behavior immediately changes. It's hilarious!"

"Serves them right," Mamoru said with a smile. "Your mother deserves respect for all the effort and hard work she has put down in order to get where she is now."

"Absolutely. I respect her so much," Ami said quietly with big gratitude in her voice.

They took a sip of their tea again. The drink was not very hot anymore. Mamoru put his empty cup on the table. After a few moments, his face became a bit more serious. "Alright," he said and looked the girl into the eyes again. "Ami, I would like to ask you another question, a more serious one, if you don't mind."

Ami looked a bit curious, but she did not seem annoyed about it. "Alright?"

"We have established that we both thirst for the money and the prestige that goes with the job, but if we're going to be really honest, is that your main motivation for wanting to become a doctor? Would you consider a whole different career path if working as a doctor would have meant a low salary and that people would not give you that respect?"

Ami's eyes became wide open and she almost looked offended. "No! Absolutely not," she said firmly. "I _want_ to become a doctor. That's my dream. The money and prestige are nice, but that means nothing unless you enjoy the profession with all your heart." She made a gesture with her hand. "My main motivation for becoming a doctor is because I want to save lives. That's really all there is. If being a doctor would mean that I had to have the lowest salary in history and being seen as a low-life by other people, I would happily accept it. Regardless of money and prestige, nothing – and I mean _nothing_ – can beat the happy faces of the family members when they see that their relative has survived." Ami's energy increased as she was speaking. "My mum works so hard, to the point of burning out, but she puts up with it all for that reason. No matter how much stress and long passes she has to cope with, everything is worth it in the end when she sees how much happiness she brings people with her job." She made a short pause, then continued with the same strength: "Now, I am not naive. I know of course that there are times when you don't succeed. My mum has had a few operations that did not go well despite that she put all her best effort in it, and it broke her heart. It really did. But she always tells me that no matter how gut wrenching it is to give the horrible news to the relatives, at least she gets some comfort from knowing that she did all she could for the patient until the very end." Ami exhaled deeply after her long speech. She looked a bit tired, but the strength and conviction shone from her eyes.

Mamoru watched her with proud eyes. "That was a very nice speech, Ami," he said in a low, respectful tone. "I am very proud that you feel that way. It shows that you have a genuine passion for the path you have chosen, and that your main motivation is not money or fame, but to bring comfort and happiness to other human beings."

"Thank you," Ami said with sweetness in her voice. "That is exactly what I mean. I confess to having a craving for a high salary and the prestige, but as you said, my genuine passion is to bring happiness to other people."

"Absolutely," Mamoru said. "Nothing wrong in wanting to be number one in something as long as you have an honest passion for the actual subject."

"Indeed," Ami said quietly.

Mamoru watched her with his dark eyes without saying anything. He sat still for a long time. Then he finally stood up. He walked over to Ami and sat down next to her. He looked right into her deep blue eyes and said with his most serious voice: "Ami, I am going to tell you something. Once, Minako and I had a conversation similar to the one you and I just had. I asked her about her dream of becoming an idol. I asked her what the real reason for that dream was."

Ami's smile faded. She looked into Mamoru's eyes.

"At first, she told me the usual stuff," Mamoru continued. "She talked on and on about becoming rich, about being admired, about becoming an icon in the fashion industry – all that typical shallow stuff. She made it very clear that money and fame meant a lot to her." Mamoru looked down in the floor, then he raised his head and closed his eyes. "So I asked her if she didn't have a higher ambition with her dream. Something that was not part of the normal earthly possessions, and then she told me something very interesting..." He looked at Ami again, his lips forming into a tiny smile. "She told me that when long ago, before she met all of us and was still operating as Sailor V, she used to have long periods of depression, caused by the loneliness and the stress of being a lone scout fighting endless hordes of criminals. She was too proud to tell this to any of you, but it was really serious. She was lonely, young and insecure. It was a lot more than any girl should be forced to deal with. But she made it through, and that was mainly because of one thing." A warm feeling seeped into his eyes. "In the darkest of times, she found strength in playing her favorite song: Moonlight Maiden. The lyrics and the voice comforted her. They gave her strength. They lifted her out of the darkness and gave her the power to keep fighting. That is the power music has on people."

He paused and took a breath. He then continued in a lower, quieter voice: "Minako told me that she wants to give young girls of today the same chance. She wants to make songs that can heal and comfort them in the same way that she was helped. She wants to make lyrics that give them hope and make them believe in themselves and become strong and independent. In short, she wants to be a role model for them." Mamoru exhaled and blinked a couple of times. "I was deeply touched when she said that, and it showed me a new side of her that I did not know existed. I have always known that Minako is a great girl with a big heart, but this showed me that she also has a much deeper personality than she gets credit for, and it also shows that her dream of becoming an idol is not only a hunger for fame and money. It is also a wish to spread joy and love to other human beings. And in a sense, that makes her no different than you."

Ami stared down in the floor without saying a word.

Mamoru finally made his final move. With a soft but steady voice he said: "So tell me now, Ami. Tell me the only little thing that you have not told me tonight: what was your main motivation for taking those singing lessons?"

Ami said nothing.

A single tear drop ran down her cheek. Then another one. And another.

She put her face in her hands – and cried.

Mamoru put his arms around her and held her close to his chest. He gently stroked her hair as she cried heavily into his shoulder. "It's okay," he whispered. "I understand. I perfectly understand..."


	13. Chapter 13

**CHAPTER 13**

**Friday**

The echo of her shoes filled the evening as the blonde girl walked down the road. The weather still had the crystal coldness of the upcoming winter, but the icy winds and chilling temperatures had temporarily stopped. The air was still, almost as if time itself had frozen for a moment. It was as if the world was waiting for something to come.

The stillness of the air reflected the feelings in Minako's soul. For the first time in days she felt at ease with herself. Her mind was tranquil and focused. There was still some uneasiness in her heart, but it was different from before. It was no longer like having a rat gnawing at her organs from the inside. It was more like a burden on her shoulders. The burden of a duty that had to be carried out.

But despite this heavy feeling there was also a piece of hope deep inside her chest. It burned brightly in her heart and warmed her during the cold walk on the dead winter streets. And it gave her power. Power to face the upcoming storm all by herself regardless of what trials and punishments the future held for her.

She thought back to the afternoon three days ago. She felt a warm feeling run through her veins when she thought of how Rei had met up with her in the park on that Tuesday evening. She and the miko had gone to the shrine. Minako had taken a long, warm shower and had a change of clothes. After that, she and Rei had spent the rest of the evening together. The miko had shown a warmth and sensitivity that she did not always reveal to others. She had not once tried to bring up any of the events of the past days. Instead, she had just been there for Minako and had let her do whatever she wished. The two girls had just watched a movie together and had had random chat about any silly topics that came up. The hours of joy and ignorance had let Minako relax. She could finally let go of the dark misery of the previous days, and after a few hours she had felt completely drained. Rei had prepared a bed for her and she had finally been able to fall down in a deep, soothing slumber.

The morning after, Minako had felt so much better. After getting dressed and having breakfast together, Rei had eventually taken a more serious tone. She told Minako that she wanted to call the other girls and the cats over the shrine so that they could finally meet. Minako had felt the nervousness creep up on her, but she also knew that it was the right thing to do. She had to face her friends, and she was determined to take her responsibility for what she had done. She had accepted Rei's request, and with that, the miko had sent a message to everyone. And after a short while, they had all appeared at the shrine – Usagi, Makoto, Artemis, and Luna.

They had had a long talk together. Minako had not been able to look into their eyes at first, so intense was her shame for what she had done over the past days. But her friends had shown no hostility towards her. They had told her more in detail about the episodes that Rei had only mentioned to Minako: Makoto's discovery at Ami's apartment and at the cram school, their confrontation with Ami in the shrine, and the talk they had had after Ami had left. The further they had gotten in the story, the bigger the lump in Minako's throat had grown, and when they had brought up their decision to let go of all the bitterness and help getting the two girls back together, Minako could barely keep her tears inside anymore. And before she knew it, everybody had advanced on her in a giant tag team attack of love. Makoto had held her with her big arms, seemingly trying to crush her in a bear hug. Usagi had clung onto her and had leaned on her shoulder. Rei had gently stroked Minako's head – the only spot that was not taken by the massive Makoto or the blubbering Usagi. Even Luna and Artemis had purred softly and stroked themselves against Minako's feet.

After calming down, Minako had felt the confidence fill her heart again, and finally, she was able to put words on her feelings. She had told the girls all her feelings that had been circling inside her heart over the past days. She had admitted her own selfishness and stupidity in the matter without hiding or concealing anything. When she mentioned the meeting with Makoto in the café and the talk she had had with Artemis later the same day, both the brown haired girl and the white feline had looked a bit distressed and had wanted to give Minako an apology of their own for not believing their friend – but Minako had refused to hold them responsible, insisting that they had only been acting logically from what they had known at the time. She had then – with enormous guilt in her eyes – told them everything that had transpired in Ami's home, and all the bad things she had said and done to the blue haired girl. Her friends were indeed a bit upset of what they heard, but they had also been understanding about it. Minako had then said the most important thing that was on her mind. She had told her friends that she wanted to apologize to Ami for all that had happened, and that she was ready to take all the responsibility, even if not everything had been her fault. She just wanted a closure of the whole event.

Her friends had been proud of her, and after nearly having a reprise of the love assault event, they had decided they wanted to help her. Together, they had been writing a message to Ami. Luna and Rei, who had the best command of words, had written the main part, and Makoto, Minako, Artemis, and Usagi had then come up with some additions of their own. It had been a simple message – honest, open-hearted, and straight to the point. They had explained Minako's sadness and guilt for what she had done, and that she wished to meet with Ami alone so that she could apologize and so the both of them could have a talk.

But Ami did not respond. Despite the effort they had put in the message to make it as friendly and soft as possible, their communicators had remained silent. After several hours had passed, the other girls had tried contacting Ami themselves, but there had still not been any reply. Minako had felt very sad about the whole ordeal, and the other girls had been very disappointed at Ami for neglecting their message. Eventually, the girls had given up on contacting her and had spent the rest of the day with other activities, even if they felt a bit uneasy with Ami's absence and Minako's sadness.

The next day had been the same. No answer from Ami. The girls had started to get really worried by this point. They had once again tried contacting her – both through the communicator and by normal phone.

But then suddenly, during the late evening when they had almost given up all hope, their communicators had beeped. They had immediately checked their devices, and at last, a reply from Ami had finally come in. Minako had opened the message with shaky hands, not being able to take a single breath.

It had been a very short message, only containing the necessary information. Ami had written that she was open for a meeting, and asked her friends to suggest a time and a place.

They had quickly written a reply with a suggestion of a time and a meeting point: the afternoon the next day, in the town square – an open, neutral place. Shortly after sending the message, their communicators had made another sound, and a text reply from Ami had appeared on the screen, confirming the time and place.

So now Minako was here. It was time to finally put all the cards on the table. She slowly approached the corner of a building. Butterflies were dancing in her stomach. The town square was a completely open place, nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. Once she rounded the corner, she would be visible to anyone standing in the square. She swallowed and decided to finally make her move. She took one step forward, then another. Finally, legs quivering, she walked all the way out.

She saw her as soon as she had stepped around the corner. Far away in the open area, sitting on a bench all alone. She was looking down in the ground, hands resting in her lap. Minako's heart pounded faster. She forced herself to walk towards the square. For every meter she moved forward, it became harder and harder to breathe.

_Do what you have to do._

When she had taken a few steps, the blue haired girl slowly raised her head. Minako's heart skipped a beat as their eyes met for a brief moment, and the mermaid quickly moved her focus back to the ground again. The moment had lasted for less than a second, but there was no doubt that she had seen her.

Minako slowly walked towards the area with the bench where the other girl was. Her legs were shaking and she was taking her steps with the utmost care, as if the world around her was made of glass that could shatter with the slightest misstep. Closer and closer she came, until she finally stood next to the bench.

For a while, no one of them said anything. Minako remained standing, silently watching her long old friend.

Ami looked a little pale but seemed to be otherwise healthy, at least physically. Her hair was a little rugged, and she had tiny shades of blue underneath her eyes, like she had not slept well the night before. She still kept her gaze nailed to the ground, not looking up at Minako. Her hands were planted firmly on her knees, but her fingers were twitching slightly, the nervousness inside of her clearly shining through.

Minako took several deep breaths, struggling to find her own confidence. Then she closed her eyes and finally started talking.

"Hi..."

The bluenette was still staring at the ground, not responding. After a few moments, she took a deep breath and replied.

"Hello..."

Her voice was soft and quivering, almost like a whisper.

Minako chewed her lip and then slowly moved closer to the bench, nervously watching Ami's reaction. Finally, she sat down on the other end of the wooden bench.

They sat still for a while, silence surrounding them.

Eventually, Minako knew that she had to be the one to go first. She closed her eyes and took in all the air her lungs could hold. She then finally let it all out.

"Ami..." she began, her voice highly unstable. "First, I just want to say that... I am happy you came here. I am happy you accepted my offer to meet..." She fought hard to keep her breathing under control. "And I want to say... I want to say that I am sorry."

She took a few quick breaths, feeling the pain inside her heart. "I am sorry for what I did to you. I did something horrible against you, and I know that I don't really deserve to be forgiven for that. I was so deep down in the darkness that I lost myself. And I took it all out on you..." She sniffed and rubbed her nose with her hand. "I wanted to see you suffer. I wanted to see you break down, and I... I took advantage of your biggest weakness, because I knew what would hurt you the most..." She swallowed. "It was such a low thing to do... And I did it all on purpose. I was completely aware of what I was doing... Against one of my friends. One of my best friends that I love and respect endlessly. And I just want to say that... I want to apologize for it all. And if you do forgive me..." She forced the last of her strength into her voice. "I want to leave it all behind us and start over again. I take all the blame and responsibility, no matter what anyone says. I accept that it was all my fault and I promise to never do such a thing again."

She slumped down, completely exhausted. Now it was her turn to stare down in the ground. All the emotions sparkled inside of her. There was nothing more that she could do. She had made her final statement and could now only wait for the judgment.

For a long time, Ami did not say anything.

Then she finally took a breath and said: "You are not the only one..."

Minako opened her eyes but did not take them off the ground.

"You are not the only one..." Ami said again, her voice quiet, almost like a whisper.

Minako heard Ami take a few breaths before speaking up again. "You are not the only one who wanted to see someone suffer..."

Minako slowly raised herself up. She turned her head and stared at the other girl.

Ami was staring into the ground. Her face had lost much of its color. With a voice full of pain, she said: "I took advantage of your biggest weakness, because I knew what would hurt you the most..."

She shook her head. "It was such a low thing to do... And I did it all on purpose. I was completely aware of what I was doing... Against one of my friends. One of my best friends that I love and respect endlessly..." She closed her eyes and a pained expression came over her face. "And I just want to say that... I want to apologize for it all, even if I know I don't deserve forgiveness."

Minako stared at the other girl. She stared at the feelings of shame and regret that was shining from her – the same feelings she felt in her own heart.

"Ami..." she whispered. "I..."

Then the world exploded around them both.

A huge explosion erupted around Minako, catapulting her off the ground and through the air. She was so taken by surprise that she did not have time to react, and after a few seconds she hit the solid ground with full force with no chance of softening the fall. She screamed of pain when she slammed into the concrete floor. Stars were dancing in front of her and her ears were ringing from the violent noise of the explosion that had nearly burst her ear drums.

After finally catching her breath again, she dragged herself up on her hands and knees. She could hear the screams of the other people far away. The area was completely surrounded by smoke and it made her cough and caused her eyes to water. "A-Ami... what happened?" she wheezed. "Where are you? A-are you okay?"

After a while, she could make out the scenery around her, and then she saw her friend. She was slowly pulling herself off the ground. She was shocked and was covered in soot, but she seemed to be okay.

With some effort, Minako pulled herself up and rushed over to Ami. She grabbed the girl by the shoulders and began pulling her up. "Are you okay, Ami? What the hell happened?"

When she received no answer, she tried to grab Ami's head to see if she was hurt, but then she saw the terrified expression in her face.

"Oh no..." Ami said, gazing on something far away.

"What's going on? What—" she started, but left the sentence unfinished. When she looked in the direction Ami was facing, she understood what had caused the explosion. "No way..." she whispered. "You gotta be kidding me..."

About thirty meters away, surrounded by the smoke and the debris, was a demon.

The monster was tall and thin and had the resemblance of an insect, looking a bit like a mutation of a grasshopper. It had slime green skin with scales covering its whole body. Its face was made up of two small, blood red eyes and a jaw with two sharp teeth like spikes pointing out from the sides of its mouth. It was standing up on its hind legs, and at the end of its upper limbs were two sharp, silver white spikes. The spikes emitted sparks of electricity that crackled loudly in the dusty air. Every other second, a small current of electricity ran from one spike to the other. "Denryuu..." it hissed with a raspy, distorted voice. "Denryuu..."

"Oh no..." Ami whispered with a pale face. "What are we going to do?"

Minako stood still without saying a word. A look of determination slowly came over face. "Transform."

"Transform? Are you saying that—"

"What do you think I am saying?" Minako snarled. "Transform. Now."

"B-but what about the people around—"

"They cannot see us through the smoke and they will think that we are caught underneath all the rubble!" Minako angrily said. "But unless we transform now the smoke will clear, and that monster is not going to wait for us to make a decision, so we need to transform – now!"

Ami nodded. "R-right."

The two girls took out their transformation pens. They held them high above their heads and shouted the phrases of their transformation spells:

"Venus power – make up!"

"Mercury power – make up!"

A blue stream of water and bubbles, and a golden light with a cascade of heart shaped energy orbs, filled the air as the spell took effect. The girls felt the energy rush through them and the colors dance before their eyes. And then after a second, the light vanished, and in the midst of all the smoke and chaos stood two of the legendary sailor scouts: Sailor Venus and Sailor Mercury.

A glimpse of surprise showed in the monster's red eyes for a split second, but it quickly vanished, and the eyes were once again burning with hunger. "Denryuu..." the monster hissed and swung the spikes on its arms. It took a few steps towards the girls.

Mercury made a little gasp and took a step backwards. Venus, however, firmly held her ground and had her back straight. She moved her arms to the side and put them in a battle stance while looking the monster straight in the eyes. "You interrupted two female friends who were reconciling," she growled. "Never – and I mean _never_ – go between the friendship of two girls!" Venus swung her arm and pointed her finger at the monster. "In the name of the planet Venus, I will punish you!"

The monster hissed. Large currents of electricity started flowing on the spikes on its hands.

"W-we need to call up the others, right?" Mercury said. "We cannot face this monster alone."

"Of course we need to call up the others," Venus said, "but let's not get distracted. We don't know how this monster moves or what abilities it has. If we start using our communicators now we run the risk of being taken by surprise."

Mercury nodded nervously.

"Okay pretty boy," Venus exclaimed and slowly began moving in a circle around the monster. "Let's see what you've got."

The monster seemed to be provoked by Venus's behavior. It hissed angrily and turned to face its opponent.

"'Denryuu' means 'electric current' in Japanese," Mercury said. "The monster must be lightning based."

"I've figured as much," Venus muttered as she kept her eyes on the monster. "You can tell from the sparks that are flying on its cla—"

She was not able to finish the sentence. The monster suddenly roared and stuck its long spikes into the ground. Lightning flashed, and suddenly, a huge load of electricity flew towards the girls.

"Watch out!" Venus yelled as she skipped to the side. She barely made it out of the way of the current. With some effort, she managed to land on her feet. She struggled with her balance for a second before she got into a standing position again. She quickly gazed over to her left and saw with relief that Mercury had managed to avoid the electric beam as well.

The monster hissed triumphantly. The air around them was cracking from the sudden bolt of energy that had cut through it. Several of the street lights around the girls had either popped or stopped working. Small sparks were fizzing from the broken bulbs.

"Alright!" Minako panted to Mercury while watching the demon. "The monster needs to charge up for a new attack. This is our chance. Use the communicator, quickly!"

She looked over to her left again, and a look of worry filled her face when she saw Mercury.

The blue haired soldier stared at her communicator with a terrified look on her face. She was pressing the buttons over and over again. Venus got a cold feeling in her stomach. Taking a last quick look on the monster to ensure it was not going to charge on them, she took up her own communicator and pushed one of its buttons.

Nothing happened. The device just buzzed. She pressed another button. Same result.

"The devices have stopped working..." Mercury whispered.

"Shit..." Venus growled and looked over at the monster.

The monster hissed and began moving towards them.

"Shit!" Venus screamed in anger. "Why aren't the bloody devices working? The monster's projectile did not hit them!"

"I-I think that electric current must have caused them to black out," Mercury whimpered. "Look at the lights around us. The electric current probably caused an electric overload in the whole area, damaging the fine electronics inside the devices and—"

"Okay I get it already!" Venus angrily interrupted. "Looks like we have to deal with this one ourselves."

Mercury made big eyes. "Are you serious? Should we fight this one alone without the others?"

"Mercury, stop asking questions and listen to what I am saying!" Venus angrily said. "We need to take this one down ourselves, and we need to do it before it will hurt the people around us."

The monster suddenly launched another electric attack. Mercury and Venus just barely made it out of the way before the electricity hit the ground where they were standing, making the concrete sparkle.

Venus flipped through the air and managed to land on her feet again. She tossed her blonde hair behind her back. "He's fast."

Mercury rose to her feet. "I-I don't think we are going to last very long..." she panted.

"Yeah. We need to think of something. Now," Venus muttered. She looked over at her blue haired friend. "How about your computer? Is it working or is it broken too?"

"Right, I forgot about that," Mercury said. She quickly moved her hand to the side of her head. A blue visor materialized over her eyes.

"Is it working?" Venus said as she saw the monster was slowly approaching them. She gritted her teeth.

Mercury swallowed. "It's... I am not too sure. It—"

"Just tell me yes or no, Mercury!"

Mercury swallowed again. "Y-yes. It is working, but it is much slower than usual. The system is still booting up. It shouldn't take this long..."

"Can you do an analysis on the monster?"

"I could, but..." Mercury's face turned pale. "It would probably take several minutes..."

"Shit..." Venus growled. Then she gasped. "Watch out, Mercury! Here it comes!"

The monster roared and rushed towards the two soldiers. It had stopped using electricity as a weapon and was now relying on brute force. It slashed and stabbed at the girls with its two long claws. The scouts managed to jump out of the way once again, but it was starting to get obvious that their strength and luck was starting to run out.

"This is no good," Venus said. "There is no way we can hold this monster off like this. Mercury, you need to use your computer."

"But it's slowed down..."

"I don't care. At least it's working. If we are going to knock out this monster, we need to find its weakness and use it to our advantage. Our strength alone is not enough to bring it down." She gazed over at Mercury. "If you analyze the monster, what is the maximum time the computer will need to work? Give me an educated guess. You're good at that."

Mercury licked her lips. "If we're lucky it might just take two or three minutes... But it could also—"

"I did not ask for what it _might_ be!" Venus snarled. "I need to be a hundred percent sure. What is the _definite maximum time_ it will need for a guaranteed success?"

Mercury's face was pale. She fiddled quickly with the controls of her device. "Based on its current performance, I'd say..." She took a breath. "Five minutes..."

Venus made a curt nod. "Alright. Listen, Mercury, I have a plan. Here is what we'll do..."

The monster rushed towards them again and slashed its claws ferociously. The girls jumped away and retreated up on a low platform on the side of the town square.

Venus was panting, but her voice was still firm as she spoke to her friend. "Mercury, you'll wait here and put all your focus on your computer and the analysis, okay? Do not interact with the monster in any way. Your computer and your brain are the only things we have right now, and I don't want to risk the monster breaking them. The computer took a lot of damage last time, and any single spark would probably knock it out completely. Regardless what happens, you stay here. Got that?"

"O-okay," Mercury whispered. "But... but what about you? What will you do?"

Venus stared at the monster. A burning determination filled her eyes. "I will give you your five minutes."

Mercury's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. "You're going to fight the monster all alone?! No way!"

"I'll only hold it off for the time needed," Venus replied.

"But that's suicide!"

"I hope not."

"You're crazy!" Mercury gasped.

"Probably," Venus said, "But tell me, have you got a better idea?"

Mercury did not answer. She just shook her head.

Venus jumped down from the platform. She quickly turned around and cast a last glance at her team partner. "Mercury, whatever happens with me, you _stay here_ until the analysis is done. Got it?"

Mercury shook her head. "I cannot—"

"That's an order! Remember that I am your leader in this!"

Mercury finally gave up her protests. She nodded in confirmation, but her face was deathly pale.

* * *

Venus moved out to the center of the town square. The monster hissed and focused its red, evil eyes on her. It slashed its claws together. Sparks crackled through the air. "Denryuu..." it hissed.

"Alright, sweetie," Venus muttered. "You want me? Come and get me then."

She slowly stepped backwards, constantly having her eyes on the monster to watch its every move. She tried to make it put all its attention on her, luring it away as far as possible from Mercury.

Venus took a few more steps backwards. She waved her arms in a theatrical manner, as if to tease the monster. "What's the matter, boy?" she said sweetly. "You afraid of a girl?"

Even though the monster did not have any human features, it seemed to be provoked by Venus's movements and tone of voice. It hissed angrily and hurried towards her, slashing the air with its claws.

The monster made a swipe with its right claw. Venus quickly ducked underneath it, then she made a back flip backwards as the monster rammed its left claw right into the ground on the spot where she had been standing. Roaring of frustration, the monster raised both its claws into the air and shot a small electrical current towards the blonde girl. Venus once again managed to jump away.

"Not very impressive," she snarled at the monster and gave it a victorious smile.

But deep inside she was starting to get really afraid. The monster was indeed really fast and strong, and Venus could feel her stamina slowly vanishing. The longer she spent fighting the demon, the weaker she would get, and the weaker she got, the higher was the risk that she would make a fatal mistake. The only positive thing was that the monster seemed to focus completely on her now, forgetting about the other girl behind it.

* * *

On the platform far off in the distance stood Sailor Mercury. She was gazing at the scene with Sailor Venus and the monster through her blue visor. She was chewing her lip and she could feel her knees almost giving away.

"Come on... come on!" she pleaded as pressed the command buttons for the device and saw on the visor how the computer was slowly making its calculations, gradually analyzing the monster and testing different methods and strategies.

She was terrified that she had made a mistake in her prediction of the computer's capacity. Venus was a skilled fighter, but Mercury could clearly see how the monster was wearing her out. For every time the soldier of love avoided an attack, her reflexes were slower, and her reaction time got longer and longer.

She was fighting with herself to not jump down on the ground and start running to Venus's rescue. She had to admit that in some sick way, her friend's plan made sense, despite the huge risks involved. She would not be able to do a lot against the monster anyway, and any little mistake could risk breaking the computer, completely ruining the last chance of victory they had.

* * *

Venus skipped left and right and kept dodging the monster's attacks. She was now panting heavily and sweat was running down her face. "Come on, Minako... You can do this..." she wheezed to herself. She wondered how much time had passed. It felt like she had been fighting this monster for eternity, but it had probably only been a few minutes.

The monster was now really furious at the blonde girl who was constantly avoiding its attacks. It had stopped with its electric assaults and coordinated moves and was now constantly slashing through the air in blind rage trying to get rid of the pesky girl who was dancing around it. While it was true that the monster's loss of coordination made it easier for Venus to predict its attacks, the monster was seemingly not losing any strength or stamina and was still fighting as vigorously as before. The same could not be said about Venus herself. She felt her knees trembling and her back and hip were aching from all the jumping she had done. She was starting to feel that her body was not obeying her.

The monster slashed its claw towards Venus. She quickly dodged the attack. The monster slashed its other claw and Venus jumped away from this one too. The monster had now begun slashing with its claws in turns, alternating between the left and the right one in a steady repeated motion.

"Losing steam?" Venus said with a grin to the monster, partly in order to upset it, and partly to herself to raise her own confidence. "You seem to have run out of ideas."

The monster kept up its slashing motions, making swift swipes with its left and right claws. Venus automatically dodged in the opposite directions, like a pre-programmed robot. Venus's strength and agility were decreasing, but with the monster attacking in such an obvious repeated pattern, she had no real problems in avoiding it. And that was where she made her big mistake.

The monster slashed left and then right, and immediately after one of its right sweeps, it suddenly fired off a stream of lightning towards Sailor Venus.

It took her completely by surprise. She saw the beam coming towards her and in that split second immediately realized her mistake. She desperately threw herself to the side, but her body was tired and weakened and did not obey her will as fast as it should have.

She managed to get out of the beam's way, but she could feel it scorching the side of her body. A sharp wave of pain flew through her. She let out a scream as she tumbled through the air, eventually crashing down on the hard concrete.

She rolled around a few times after the impact and eventually landed flat on her back. The collision had pushed the air out of her lungs and she was gasping for oxygen, not able to get a single sound out. She felt the heavy pain in her body and felt how her limbs were jittering from the electric current that had just passed through her muscles and nerves.

Far off in the distance, she could hear the demon hissing triumphantly. She cursed her own stupidity. The monster's raging sweeps had been part of its plan. Its idea had been to tire her out with the continuous slashes and give her a sense of false safety. Once it had sensed a loss of focus, it had fired off an electric beam, completely taking her by surprise. And now it had succeeded.

She waited for the monster to come and finish the job, but instead, she could hear it turn around and slowly moving away from her. Apparently, seeing her lying still and not making a sound had made the monster believe that she was already finished.

The short second of relief was quickly replaced with a horrible realization. The monster had now shifted its attention away from her and was focusing on Sailor Mercury. The unprotected warrior of water who was standing alone far away, desperately trying to use her damaged computer.

"Denryuu..." the monster hissed, dragging its claws along the ground.

_No..._

Hopelessness and desperation filled Venus's heart.

_No, you will not hurt her._

She felt the rage spread through her veins.

_You leave her alone. I will not let you hurt her._

Her body filled with a strength that she did not know that she had. She planted her hands on the ground and slowly pushed herself up.

_She has one of the best minds in our world today. Her bright and beautiful mind will heal people from illnesses and save lives. She will spread love, joy, and happiness in our society through her work._

She pulled herself up and sat down on her knees. She wiped away a drop of blood from her chin. She could see the monster slowly heading towards Sailor Mercury, taking its steps carefully as if to taunt her.

_Her brain is one of the best the world has ever seen. It is like a sponge, absorbing everything around it, sucking up all knowledge and storing it inside. I am nothing of what she is. I have nothing else in me than selfish dreams of fame and money. But she is important. She is a strong and beautiful human being, and she has so many good things to do in her life._

She pulled herself up into standing position. Despite her aching muscles, she straightened her back and stood up in her full length. She tied her fist and spat a few drops of blood on the ground.

_But most of all, she is my friend. She is one of the best friends I have ever had, and I love her. I will not let you hurt her. I don't care what happens to me, but you will __**not**__ hurt her!_

"I don't care what happens to me..." Venus growled. She then charged up all the power in her body and roared: "...but you will _not_ hurt her!"

Sailor Venus launched a fully charged Crescent Beam into the back of the monster. It roared in pain and anger and quickly turned around. The hate burned inside its red, surprised eyes. "Denryuu!" it roared and raised its claws in the air.

* * *

On her platform further away, Sailor Mercury was standing, nervously shifting her attention between her visor and her friend fighting the monster in the distance.

She had screamed of desperation when she had seen Sailor Venus getting hit by the electric beam. For a few moments, Mercury had believed that Venus had really lost her life. Extreme relief had filled her when she had seen how the blonde girl had slowly begun crawling up and how the monster had shifted its attention away from her.

But when she saw how Venus had stood up tall and challenged the monster again, a completely different feeling had filled her heart. Her arms fell down and hung loosely on her sides. She stared at the blonde girl with big eyes and an open mouth.

_Just look at her,_ Mercury thought. _Just look at her. She never gives up. She takes so much abuse and yet she always comes back._

She watched her friend, thoughts rushing through her head.

_Her determination is incredible. She would walk through water and fire to protect the world and the ones she loves. She will not let go until there is not a single breath left in her body. Until the very end, she will fight for everything she believes in. She never gives up, and that's what... that's what makes her such a strong person._

She rubbed her eyes.

_She is a natural born soldier and leader. Without her determination and experience, we would never have got as far as we are now. We owe it all to her friendship, strength and skills. I am... I am nothing like her. I may have the intelligence, but I could never lead the five of us..._

A loud beep broke her out of her trance. The analysis of the monster was finally done! She stared at the visor before her eyes, and when she saw the calculations appearing on the blue screen, she suddenly realized what they needed to do to take the monster down.

She nervously glanced over to the two combatants far away. She needed to reunite with Venus to deliver her new information about the monster's weakness, but how would she be able to reach her? Her instincts told her to rush over to the place where Venus was fighting, but her friend had clearly told her to remain where she was. Out of loss of ideas, she began waving desperately in the air, trying to signal to Venus that the analysis was done.

* * *

Sailor Venus was still battling the monster. Her body was even weaker now than it was before, but she now had a slight advantage. The monster was furious that it had not managed to silence the blonde girl, and it now seemed to attack randomly without any plan or tactics. Venus avoided the slashes and swipes without too much trouble, but she was also aware that she would not be able to keep this up forever. One more electric blast like that would probably do her in completely.

She suddenly caught a glimpse of something far away. She gazed over and saw that Sailor Mercury was waving at her, signaling for her to get over there. Her heart began pounding in her chest. The analysis must be completed! Perhaps Sailor Mercury had come up with an idea of how they could blow this monster into oblivion?

She desperately gazed at the demon. She needed to distract it with something in order to escape and make her way to Mercury, but what could she do? She was not in a condition to outrun it, and if she turned her back on the monster for even a second, it could very well stab her through her chest.

She quickly looked around her and suddenly got an idea. Behind her, several meters away, was a pillar holding up the ceiling of an outside serving area of a café. Sailor Venus knew by now that the monster had enough strength to slash through both wood and concrete with its long powerful claws. If she could trick it into crushing the pillar, perhaps the ceiling would fall down and hurt the monster, temporarily disabling it?

She gritted her teeth and took a few quick steps backwards. There was no guarantee that this strategy would work, and she was well aware that she had to get away herself before the ceiling would come down on her as well, but it was the only plan she could come up with.

She moved backwards until she almost had her back towards the pillar. "Come on, you scum," she growled. "Come and get me. I am right here!"

"Denryuu..." the monster hissed and moved towards her. Anger and determination glowed in its blood red eyes.

"Come on you bastard," she said. "Come and stab me." She made movements with her hands as if begging the monster to ram its spikes into her body.

And as if the monster obeyed her wish, it raised its claws up in the air and put the tips towards Venus, ready to stab her in the heart and pin her against the pillar.

The monster launched its spikes towards Sailor Venus, and in that split second, the blonde girl tossed her whole body to the side. The two huge claws missed the girl and cut right through the pillar as if it had been made out of paper. The pillar exploded in a cascade of wood and concrete dust. Sailor Venus knew there was no time to spare. She immediately jumped up on her feet and darted away from the area.

In the very next second, a massive sound filled the air and the whole ceiling that the pillar had held up came right down on the monster.

The roof of the outdoor area was not very thick or big, but it served its purpose well. The monster screamed of pain and frustration as the chunks of wood and steel fell down on its head, burying its body in rubble. The monster waved its arms and tried to remove the bricks lying on top of it, but it was pinned down to the ground and had big problems getting rid of the material. It tried to shoot a few electric currents, but the concrete slabs effectively absorbed all the bolts. The only thing that came out was a blue light shining through the rubble.

"Yes!" Venus shouted when she saw that her strategy had worked. She quickly began making her move towards her friend, first moving backwards in order to check for any sudden movements in the monster, but once she had confirmed that it would indeed be trapped for a while, she turned around and ran as fast as she could towards Sailor Mercury.

* * *

"Venus!" Mercury shouted as her blonde friend came running towards her.

"Mercury! I saw your signal!" Venus quickly responded. "Is the analysis done?"

"You're wounded!" Mercury said. "When I saw you getting hit by the electric beam back there I—"

"It's just a scratch!" Venus interrupted her. "Is the analysis done or not?"

Mercury nodded. "Yes! It got done just a while ago. I... I think I know how to defeat the monster now."

"Well, tell me then!" Venus looked her sternly into the eyes. "And keep it short! Tell me only what I need to know!"

"A-Alright," Mercury said and swallowed as she began explaining. "The monster is electric based. It generates electricity in its own body from a positively charged pole and a negatively charged pole inside its organs."

"Like a battery?"

"Yes. Now, just like in a battery, the two poles are separated and only connect with each other when the actual electric beam is being shot out, but as with any battery, it will short circuit if the two poles are unintentionally connected by a conductive medium and the electricity starts flowing freely between the two poles."

Venus stared at Mercury. "A conductive medium? You mean like..."

Mercury smiled weakly. "Yes, like water."

"So you only need to shoot a beam of water at it and that's it?"

Mercury's smile disappeared. "Not exactly," she said with worry in her eyes. "The monster is covered in thick scales that are non-conductive. A stream of water would only bounce of its skin and nothing would happen."

"Damn," Venus cursed. "So there is nothing we can do to harm it?"

"There might be," Mercury said. "When the analysis was finished, I found out one specific moment when the monster is unprotected."

"And when's that?"

Mercury swallowed. "Just as it fires off its electrical beam. At that exact time, its channels are exposed and the electricity flows from its two poles out in the air. If we manage to strike it with water at that exact time—"

"—it will short circuit! Got it!" Venus finished with a smile.

"Yes, this will most likely weaken it greatly. After that, we must hit it with our most powerful attack, and hopefully that will finish it."

"Great job, Mercury," Venus said proudly to her friend. Her gaze then turned to the monster that had now almost got out of the big pile of rubble. It looked even angrier than before. "Let's finish this," she hissed.

"H-How are we going to do it?" Mercury nervously asked.

"I think I have an idea," Venus said. "Listen to me..."

* * *

The monster had finally made it out of its prison. It roared in wild anger and was now hungry for settling the score with the two girls once and for all. It gazed out on the town square. The blonde girl was nowhere in sight, but suddenly it saw the blue haired girl walking out on the ground, cheekily standing in front of it about a hundred meters away.

"Denryuu!" The beast hissed triumphantly and began making its way towards the girl who was standing still where she was.

When the monster only had a few meters left to the other girl, its movements were suddenly halted. It hissed in surprise and twisted and turned its body trying to get away from the force that was holding it.

It looked down on its legs and suddenly realized the reason for its inability to move. A golden chain made of energy pods in the shape of hearts was wrapped around its waist, effectively preventing it of advancing forward.

"Denryuu!" the demon angrily said. It slashed on the chain with its claws, but as the chain was behind the monster and was quite strong and solid, the demon had little success in breaking free.

Then it heard a sound and looked back at the girl in front of it. The soldier clad in blue and white was charging up. A big blue orb of energy grew between her hands. The monster roared in anger of the young girl's courage. Determined to show her who was the stronger of the two of them, the monster began charging up for an attack of its own. Massive amounts of electricity filled up inside its body.

Sailor Mercury stood still trying to ignore the fear in her heart. She focused all the energy in her body to the point between her hands. This had to work. Sailor Venus's plan had been good, and she had nothing else to come up with. This was their only chance. She nervously watched the numbers flashing on her blue visor, holding her energy until the time would be right.

Finally, she saw the meters and numbers turn red. Her visor beeped and small cross hairs began appearing on the monster. It was time. She watched the monster in front of her, and in the exact second it unleashed its load of electricity, Mercury released her beam of water.

The stream of water cut through the electric beam like a knife through butter. The jet of water hit the monster right in the chest and face. A loud bang was heard and a giant cloud of sparks and light spread through the air around the monster.

The demon screamed in pain and fell down on the ground. It was shaking heavily and bolts of electricity ran over its torso and face. Smoke fizzed out of its mouth and holes in the skin. Its mechanisms had short circuited completely, creating a huge electric overload inside its own body.

"Venus! Now!" Mercury screamed.

With a roar, the blonde warrior released her golden chain and launched another Crescent Beam towards the monster with all her power. The golden ray of light smashed into the green-skinned demon. There was a huge noise as cascades of electricity and yellow light filled the area. And then there was a huge explosion. The two girls were tossed back.

After several moments, Sailor Venus got up on her feet. The town square was full with smoke and the stench of burnt meat filled the air. She gazed around her and eventually spotted her blue haired friend crawling up in a cloud of smoke.

"Mercury! Are you okay?"

"Y-Yes I think so. My ears hurt but I am undamaged otherwise. How about you?"

"Same here. I think I am okay." She gazed around the area once again. "What happened to the monster? Is it still here?"

Mercury nervously looked around her. "I think... I think it's gone. I think..." She took a deep breath. "I think we killed it."

Venus stared at Mercury with big eyes. She looked around the area, breathing heavily. Everything was quiet. The smoke was slowly clearing up and the only sound that could now be heard was the wind. They waited without saying a word. Ten seconds, then twenty, then thirty. Nothing happened. The monster did not jump out from anywhere. It was gone. It was really gone. They had done it. They had defeated the demon.

Venus ran over to Mercury's side. She ran a hand through her blonde hair stained with soot. "It's hard to believe we actually finished it off ourselves," she mumbled. "I always thought Sailor Moon was the only one who could do that. I thought our attacks were only there to stall the monsters temporarily."

Mercury nodded. "It is surprising. But it is has indeed happened a few times before. Both Sailor Mars and Sailor Jupiter have been able to defeat a monster by their own."

"Right," Venus said. Her eyes repeatedly scanned the town square. "I'm actually nervous that it is still not gone," she said quietly. "I'm just waiting for it to hop out from the shadows."

Mercury shook her head. "I am quite positive that it is gone forever. My computer picks up no signals of any monster or unidentified life forms."

"Right..." Venus said again and finally seemed to relax a bit. For a few moments, the girls stood still in silence and felt the adrenaline in their veins slowly fade away. The wind was blowing quietly around them, tugging their hair and clothes. Dark clouds had begun gathering in the sky.

The two girls looked at each other. For a long time, no one of them said anything. Then finally, Sailor Mercury spoke up.

"That was incredible, Venus," she said quietly. "Your plan worked perfectly. You saved the both of us..."

Sailor Venus shook her head and looked into her friend's eyes. "I couldn't have done it without you. Your calculations were perfect. We would have been doomed without them."

Mercury looked down, her face turning a bit red. "You risked your life going up alone against that monster. It was so brave of you. I am... I am speechless..."

Venus bowed respectfully to her friend. "You were brave too... You stood still in front of the monster there at the end despite the dangers. And you obeyed all my orders." She swallowed and looked at her friend. "You are an excellent soldier... and a great friend in battle."

"You too..." Mercury said quietly.

The girls stood still in silence for a long moment. The sound of the wind howled in their ears. They looked into each other's eyes. And after that, the two girls fell into each other's arms.

"I'm so sorry," Minako whispered in her friend's ear. "I'm so sorry for everything that happened..."

"No..." Ami answered. "It was my fault. It was my fault the whole time..."

And at that moment the sky opened, and a heavy rainfall poured down on the two girls, as if the heavens wanted to wash their sins away.

The two girls held each other closely while feeling their hair and clothes getting drenched by the rain.

Minako felt the coldness of her friend's wet cheek and hair against her face, and her warm breath against her ear.

"We should find shelter..." she whispered.

"It's okay..." Ami whispered back. "I don't mind it... Let it rain..."

She slowly stroked her friend's wet and dirty blonde hair.

"Let it rain..."


	14. Chapter 14

**CHAPTER 14**

**Saturday**

It was a beautiful autumn day in Tokyo. The heavy rains that had showered the metropolis last night had finally ceased and the dark clouds had retreated. The sun was now shining down from a blue sky, gently reflecting its rays in the water puddles and the drops on the trees' leaves. The coldness of the approaching winter was still making its presence, but the rays of the sun gave the people a warm little touch, as if the autumn wanted to give the people a last kiss before saying goodbye for the year.

Four people were walking on the street towards the town centre. One of them, a blonde girl with two long pigtails, was walking a bit in front of the others.

"Oh look what a beautiful day this is!" she chirped, taking a few steps forward with her arms held out. "You could almost think it's spring if you wouldn't know it's the end of autumn!"

She turned around and jogged back to her companions, a tall man with raven hair, a girl with long hair in the same color, and a tall girl with brown hair put up in a pony tail. The blonde girl began walking backwards to maintain eye contact with her friends. "Look how beautiful the sun is when it shines in the water and the trees!" she said and pointed at a water puddle. "It's like everything is made of crystal. Like it will be in Crystal Tokyo in the future, and... heeelp!"

While walking backwards, she had not noticed she had reached a crossing in the road. She stepped over the edge of the sidewalk and lost her balance completely. The raven haired girl quickly reached out and grabbed the blonde by the shoulders, smoothly pulling her back up on the sidewalk just in time to get her away from a car that was approaching in high speed.

"Usagi!" the dark haired girl said. "Do I have to hold your hand wherever you go?"

"Oh come on, Rei!" Usagi pouted. "Don't be such a storm cloud on a beautiful day like this! It was just a little mistake. And besides..." she pointed at a building a bit off in the distance. "...we are going to meet Ami and Minako in a few minutes!" Her face exploded in a huge, warm smile. "Remember what they said? They have made up and wanted to meet us all! No more fighting! Everyone together again!"

Makoto smiled back at her enthusiastic friend. "Yes, it's wonderful. I must admit I was surprised when they contacted us so soon and wanted to meet. It seems they had a really good talk."

"But of course!" Usagi blurted out. "Mina and Ami are good people! They cannot be sad and angry for a long time. Now they are back again and we can leave all this behind. And now—" she raised a hand in the air. "—We can eat ice cream together again!"

Makoto and Mamoru chuckled. Even Rei could not hold on to her sour look and cracked up in a smile.

"Your endless enthusiasm is always captivating, Usagi," Mamoru said. He looked at his girlfriend with tender eyes.

"I cannot stand having friends who are broken down," Usagi said with a proud nod. "I have to do my best to cheer them up!"

"And that you do very well," Rei said, unable to completely suppress the pride in her voice.

Worry suddenly came over Usagi's face. "Oh no! I just realized I forgot my wallet at home again!" She quickly turned around and looked up at Mamoru with big, pleading eyes, lightly tugging his arm. "Oh Mamoru-sweetie! You will buy a super size sundae ice cream for me, won't you? Won't you?"

Rei moaned and rolled her eyes while Makoto chuckled again and shook her head. Mamoru looked a little distressed but forced himself to smile at his girlfriend. "Um, yes sure, Usagi. Anything for you..."

"Yay! Thank you, Mamoru!" Usagi cheered with her hand up in the air again. "Come on guys, let's go into the café! My sundae is waiting!"

Smiling to themselves, they joined the eager girl as she was walking up to the café terrace. Just as they were about to walk through the front door, Makoto held out an arm to stop them and then pointed at the window. "Would you look at that?" she said.

Through the glass they could see a girl with long blonde hair and a red bow tie and another girl with short, blue hair. They both had a big portion of ice cream in front of them and were deep into conversation. The blonde girl was telling something to the other girl while emphasizing her story with faces and hand gestures. Whatever it was, it made the blue haired girl crack up, quickly putting her hand up in front of her mouth. Nothing could be heard through the window, but you could see the smile on their faces and the glitter in their eyes. There was no doubt that these were two close friends who truly enjoyed each other's company.

"That's so sweet," Makoto said quietly, small fields of pink forming on her cheeks. "They really _are _friends again."

Rei nodded. "It warms my heart."

Usagi did not move. She slowly put her hand to her mouth, and then tears began forming in her big, blue eyes. "A... a... aaaaaw... Mina... Ami... I wanna huuug them!"

Before anybody could stop her, Usagi pulled the door open and ran into the café. She rushed over to the table of her two friends – much to their surprise – and put her short, skinny arms around them, pulling them together while blubbering out various affectionate phrases. Her two friends and boyfriend entered slowly after, their faces red of embarrassment for the ruckus caused. The other people in the café looked away, trying to pretending that nothing was out of the ordinary.

"Oh Usagi... Causing a scene as always," Minako muttered while adjusting her bow tie.

"Sorry Minako, but I'm just so happy with seeing you two being friends again," Usagi said in a thick voice, wiping her eyes with her hand.

"I'll get the orders," Mamoru quickly said, trying to settle the dust that Usagi had kicked up. He took out his wallet and moved over towards the counter.

Usagi's eyes lit up again and she stood up. "I want a super size sundae, remember?" she shouted after him.

"Yes, Usagi, I remember. Now _please_ sit down and talk to your friends," Mamoru answered and signed with his hand to make her sit down.

After a little while, Mamoru came back with a tray with three small cups of ice cream – and a huge cup in the middle that stuck out like a sore thumb. He put the tray down on the table with some effort and sat down next to his girlfriend – who immediately reached out and grabbed her treasure with sparkling eyes.

Once everybody had made themselves comfortable, Makoto looked at her two friends on the other side of the table and smiled warmly. "So, I see that everything is okay again between you two?"

Ami nodded shyly. "It is."

Rei gave a smile that touched the lips. "And everything from the past few days is now behind you? No more hard feelings?"

Minako winked her eye and gave a V-sign. "All gone! Finito. No more grudges, no more pain."

"That's wonderful!" Usagi happily said while scoping big chunks of ice cream into her mouth. "You two are so lovely, Mina and Ami!"

"By the way, Minako, what happened to your face and arm?" Mamoru asked with his voice filled with concern as he pointed at the slight swelling on Minako's lip and the black and blue spots on her left arm.

"Oh that? That's just from a volleyball match!" Minako quickly replied and rubbed her head nervously. "Anyway, so yes, me and Ami are friends again, yes. No more fights."

Makoto smiled and then looked a little embarrassed. "I have to admit that we had prepared for a much worse outcome. Just in case, I mean. We had already made plans for a big get-together project in case your meeting would not have worked out. I see now that we did not have to worry."

Minako swallowed down a piece of ice cream and got a more serious look on her face. "Actually, me and Ami would like to thank you all for being there for us. Our stupid behavior must really have put a strain on you guys, and we are really thankful that you never gave up on us..."

"Yes, I agree," Ami continued with an embarrassed look in her eyes. "Without you, we would not have been sitting here together now, and we want to thank you for that. And most of all, we want to thank you for being firm and serious with us and for putting your feet down when you had to..."

"No need to thank us," Makoto said softly. "We will always be there for you. That's what friends are for, right?"

"And now that we are through with it, it's just water under the bridge," Rei added. "Let's leave all of this behind us now and move on. No more comments, no more talks."

When Rei said her last comment, Ami was seemingly getting a bit uneasy. She wiped her mouth with a napkin while looking down in the table. "Actually," she began, voice trembling slightly. "If I may, I would like to say something. I would like to say something important to you all..."

Minako reached out and took Ami's hand in hers. "Ami, it's okay. You don't have to do this to make it up to me."

Her friends looked at the two girls in surprise. Ami raised her head and looked into Minako's eyes. Her blue irises had a slight shade of guilt in them. "It's alright, Minako. It is not for you, it is for me. I want to do it. I want to be honest with them."

Minako slowly nodded and let go of her hand. Ami turned her head back to her friends. She took a deep breath and begun talking slowly. "All the events that transpired over the last weeks have made me think... It made me think a lot." She looked at her friends, then down in the table. "It has made me think of myself... of my own character... who I am, and what I am doing... to myself and to other people..."

Her friends were listening with mixed feelings of curiosity and a slight hint of worry. Ami took a deep breath through her nose and continued. "When you, or other people, talk about me, you usually say that I am kind hearted. You usually say that I am sweet and innocent and that I am always wishing the best for my friends and always try to make them as happy as I can..."

She took another deep breath and closed her eyes. A slight cringe went through her body as she continued. "...but I'm not. I'm not always the kind hearted girl people think I am..."

Ami was trembling slightly. The guilt was clearly visible in her eyes and shades of red were forming on her cheeks. Minako put her arm around Ami, gently rubbing her shoulder.

"I will tell you the truth about what happened at the karaoke and the events leading up to it. I will let you know exactly what was going on."

Ami sighed quietly and began her story. "When I sang Moonlight Maiden for the first time there at the first karaoke session, I realized immediately the challenge with singing such a song, and I also realized what I was lacking in technique in order to sing it properly." She looked at her friends with some confusion in her eyes. "I really cannot tell you exactly how it happens, but I just am like that. Whenever I do something, I somehow sense what I am doing right and what I am doing wrong and what I need to improve. And I feel that most other people rarely do this, and maybe that's why I usually get ahead of everybody else."

Her voice got a little steadier as she continued. "So just out of curiosity, I decided to try out a singing lesson with Mr. Yamazaki at my cram school. I quickly learned how my voice worked and what I should do to improve it. Mr. Yamazaki was so impressed with me and urged me to continue singing. I became flattered. It warmed my heart so much to hear him praise me. I then asked my mother to pay for several other lessons so that I could improve further. I wanted to see how far I could go..."

She then held up her hands and quickly added: "And I know what you are thinking now – that it's all fine. There is nothing wrong in dedicating yourself to an interest and pushing yourself as far as possible, but... there was also another thing... There was one more reason why I took those lessons..." Ami's voice got thicker and she shivered. Minako tightened her grip around her shoulders. Ami paused for a few seconds before finally letting it all out. "I wanted to be better than Minako. I wanted to sing the song better than she had ever done and I wanted to see her lose. I wanted to... see the feeling of defeat in her eyes."

Ami swallowed. Pain started to show in her face. "At the first karaoke session, I discovered my singing talents and quickly found out what I should focus on in order to improve. But I also realized something else: that Minako wasn't doing all things correctly when she was singing herself. And I knew that if I could improve on these things, I would get way ahead of Minako. And somehow... I became obsessed with all of that. I started seeing it as a contest between her and me."

Ami shook her head helplessly. "That's why I never told you about my singing lessons... that's why I waited until just before Minako would step up to sing, and that's why I chose to sing the song she had planned to sing... I really wanted to let Minako taste complete defeat..."

Shame shone from her eyes. "I was a horrible friend. A true friend should always play with open cards... I should have told all of you that I was taking singing lessons and that I wanted to sing Moonlight Maiden. If I had told you, it wouldn't have been a big deal. Minako would maybe have been annoyed by it, but then it would have been only on her. But I wanted to defeat her... I wanted her failure to be complete..."

Ami put a hand to her face. "It was so cruel. It was a heartless and selfish thing to do. You just don't do that against a close friend."

"But Minako has forgiven you now," Usagi said, close to tears from the emotional mood. "This is now a thing of the past."

"Yes, and I am very grateful for that," Ami said and tried her best to smile, then she continued: "But it does not end there. There is second part too."

Ami took a breath and started to talk again. "After all of this was over and I had come to my senses, I began thinking. I began thinking about myself and who I was, and I came to a shocking realization."

She looked at her friends again, still with some sadness in her eyes, but also determination. "I have always seen myself as soft and innocent person, and that's the way I always act whenever I talk to people. And that is probably true to a certain extent, but after thinking over the whole event that just passed, I realized that I am really not as kind and innocent as I pretend to be. I am actually extremely competitive, self-obsessed and overly proud of myself. I just never wanted to admit it. I think that because of this, I made up an idealized picture of myself in my head. A picture that I desperately clung to and constantly tried to show to others. I believed it so firmly that I eventually accepted it as a fact, that I was always a kind and just person and would never step on somebody else. But the last weeks' events made me see the truth..."

She let out a deep sigh. "And I think that's why I reacted so strongly when you guys finally brought up the truth and told it to my face. I told myself that you were saying what you did just because you hated the effort I put into my singing, but deep down I knew that was not the case. I know very well that you would never hold me back and prevent me from doing what I want to do. The real reason why I got so shocked is probably because I finally got to see the real me. I finally saw what I was capable of doing and what consequences that could have... and it scared me. It really scared me."

She fidgeted with her spoon, watching the ice cream slowly melt around it. "I think that the reason it took me so long to realize all of this was that I never really had to face myself like this before when I did not have any friends. Back then, all my classmates gave me the cold shoulder anyway no matter what I did, so it was very convenient for me to just think of myself as an innocent victim. But the more I think of it, the more I start to feel that my loneliness was maybe partly my own fault. I know I pushed myself to be better than everyone else, and I always loved to stand in front of that result board when everybody was gathered there, seeing my own name at the top. I always denied it to myself, but the truth is that I loved standing there in front of everyone, seeing the jealousy in their eyes. It made me feel superior to them and it raised my ego to extreme levels."

She looked at her friends and blushed. "I have always said to you that I am happy teaching you things on our studying sessions just because I want you to do your best and all that, and that's true to some extent. Of course I _do_ want you to do your best and to get good results. But the truth is that it also feeds my ego. I like the power, I like being in control. I like that I know more than all of you and that you are all dependant on me, and I would go crazy if someone of you would get better points than me and send me down to second place. In that sense, I am no different from Minako when it comes to singing and performing. It is a very primitive, selfish feeling, and I am sorry for that."

Ami looked really ashamed after finishing her last sentence. Rei reached out to her and touched her cheek. "It's no problem, Ami," she said. "Remember what you said back there in the shrine? You mentioned that all of us had also done bad things every now and then. You actually made a very good point. We have been mean from time to time, sometimes even to you. And in that respect, we cannot hold this event against you. Your guilt is not bigger than ours."

"Thanks," Ami said quietly. Her cheeks were red, but big relief spread over her face. She continued: "Even though I was well aware of what I was doing, I honestly never thought that it would have such dire consequences. I didn't think that Minako would freak out the way she did."

Ami sighed again. "In that respect, I was very naive. I thought that Minako would just be moping for a few minutes and that everything would go back to normal after that. But instead, all hell broke loose." She shook her head. "When I sent out that text message to you all I honestly did not mean to provoke anyone. I meant it as an invitation to Minako to cheer her up and make things go back to normal. But I guess that another important reason for why I did it was just to convince myself I was a good person. And I did not know about all the things Minako had been through over the days – the talks with Makoto and Artemis and all that. And when she came home to me that night, I knew for real how deeply I had hurt her..."

Minako's face filled with guilt. "And that's when I was being the bigger idiot," she cut in. "Instead of trying to settle things in a civilized way, I just wanted to crush Ami. I wanted revenge. I wanted to see her cry. It was pure sadism. I never ever thought I would sink so low, but I did, and I feel so ashamed by it..."

Now it was Ami's turn to comfort Minako. She moved closer and brushed her blonde hair. "But it's all over now," she said. "Don't let it hang in your mind, Minako."

Minako nodded weakly and gave a faint smile to her friends. "You know, I am actually thinking of going to anger management classes or something like that. If I snap like this over something so silly as my friend singing a song better than me, then I don't know what is wrong with my head..."

Ami smiled back. "It just shows how much your dreams mean to you, Minako. You wouldn't have a chance of succeeding unless it clearly meant everything to you." She then turned back to the others and her smile faded. "And also, I would like to apologize to you too, Rei, Makoto, and Usagi, for the horrible things I said to you at the shrine when you confronted me. I did not mean any of that and I am very sorry." Her voice got thicker, almost turning into a gasp. "I'm especially sorry for what I said about your grandfather, Rei. It was so immature and disrespectful of me, and I know how much he means to you. In fact, he means a lot to me too..."

Rei shook her head gently and smiled at Ami. "Don't mention it, Ami. We forgive you for everything. All three of us actually decided that we would let go of any anger and animosity towards you." She lowered her voice a little. "Also, I think we owe an apology ourselves for our bluntness towards you. I was a bit harsh towards you back there, and I'm sorry for that."

Usagi grabbed Ami's hands. "We love you, Ami! And you too, Minako! We could never be angry at you for long! And neither could Ami! Right, Ami?"

"Right," Ami said with a smile. "I want to thank you all. You're really wonderful friends, all of you. And don't apologize for anything, Rei. It is all fine."

Mamoru smiled at them. "You two have really gone all the way to hell and back. You have had quite a struggle. Still, being here now when everything is alright again, I guess it was good that you two learned a very important lesson and gained new insight of yourselves."

Minako smiled brightly. "Yes, I agree. Despite all the darkness, it felt so wonderful when we forgave each other again. When I hugged Ami I realized how much I really love her and how much I had missed her."

Ami cheeks got a little red as she smiled back at Minako. "Same goes to you. I realized how important you are in my life and how lonely I would be without you." She looked at the others. "And the same goes for all of you, of course."

Minako giggled. "It actually makes it worth a whole lot more in the end, doesn't it? A friendship without any fights at all is good, but a friendship where the people drive each other crazy but then make up again is a lot more wonderful. It only makes the friendship stronger!"

"Absolutely!" Usagi said and raised her fist in the air. "Our friendship is the best and no one can take it away! We remain friends even if one of us sings a song better than somebody else!"

"Or forgets her wallet multiple times and lets her friends pay for her," Rei cut in.

"Rei, you meanie! You did not have to ruin my beautiful speech!" Usagi stuck her tongue out at the raven haired girl. Ami and Minako could not hold back their laughter.

Minako looked over at Ami. A tingle of excitement appeared in her eyes. "Ami, tell them what you told me before. That thing about good and bad actually being one and the same. It was so cool."

"Ah yes," Ami said and got a little more energy in her eyes. "Well, it was just a little thought I had, but I think it sums up the situation quite well, if I may say so."

"Please tell us," Mamoru said. He and the girls tried to hide their smiles as they saw how Ami's scientific mind was waking up and how the excitement started spreading over her face.

"You know how people often say that every human being has some good and some bad sides?" Ami began. Her voice had taken on the lecturing tone she always used during their studying sessions. "If you take me, for example, you might say that my good sides are that I am kind and helpful, and that my bad sides are that I am competitive and a perfectionist. That makes a lot of sense. However, I have been thinking a lot about it recently, and I have realized that it is not really about having a good and a bad side."

Ami pointed a finger at them with a sly look on her face. "The truth is that the good and bad sides are in fact basically one and the same. It is for most part one single personality trait."

"Uh, could you explain that some more?" Usagi said and scratched her head.

Ami made a gesture with her hand as if it was the simplest thing in the world. "What I mean is, when a person has a positive personality trait, this also inevitably gives that person a negative trait. I'll give you an example of what I mean." Her voice increased in tempo. "My dream is to become a doctor. I work really hard for it every day. I put my whole heart into my schoolwork to get the highest grades possible. And I do it because I have to. Getting into the top medical schools in Japan is tough. The competition is fierce and only those with the highest grades succeed." Ami smiled at her friends. "In order to have a chance to accomplish my dream, I _have to_ be competitive. I _have to_ be a perfectionist. Otherwise I would lose the race already from the start. If some people do not like this aspect of my personality, then there is not much I can do about it. I do not want to hurt anybody and my true goal is not to outsmart everybody else, but I need to be on top of the game in order to fulfill my dream. That's just how it is. You have to take the bitter with the sweet."

"Kind of like yin and yang," Rei said.

"The only thing I must watch out for is putting my abilities to misuse, and that's where I got lost." A wave of pain drew over her face. "I used my personality and my skills as a weapon against Minako, and that is always wrong. If I simply work hard for my dream and someone else is offended by that, then it is their problem, but I have no right to use my talents to push someone down."

"That is so true," Mamoru said.

"And here is the big thing," Ami said and held up a finger in the air. She was now full of excitement. "Let's say that one of you is seriously injured and needs an operation urgently. Let me ask you this question: Who would you want to perform the surgery?" She looked her friends deep into the eyes. "Would you want a slacker who is friendly and easy-going but only got B's and C's and had to retake her freshman year? Or would you rather want a pedantic, competitive brat like me who got straight A's in every subject and knows every medical book inside out?"

Silence fell over the group.

"I see..." Makoto said after a long moment. A smile slowly spread over her face.

"I never thought of it that way," Rei added.

"You are so right!" Usagi said. "Of course we would want someone like you to do it! I mean, I could never ever do such a thing. I am not a perfectionist at all."

"Definitely not," Rei immediately added. "If Ami is the pedantic, competitive brat who got straight A's in every subject, then you are clearly the one who only got B's and C's and had to retake her freshman year." She smiled teasingly at the blonde girl.

"I never had to retake my freshman year!" Usagi said angrily.

"I heard from your mother it was really close!" Rei replied.

"May I _please_ continue?" Ami said, eager to go on with her lecture. "Anyway, here is the interesting part: what I just said can also be applied to Minako." The blonde girl blushed a bit as Ami pinched her cheek in a teasing manner. "Minako is very stubborn, territorial, and aggressive. This may be a disadvantage in many situations, and it sometimes makes it difficult both for the people around her and for herself. But if you think of what I just said, you will realize that it is these personal traits that make her the powerful warrior she is. It is these traits that make her into a great leader and pulled her through those early days when she was fighting evil all alone, long before us others had awakened."

She looked proudly at her blonde friend, and when she continued speaking her voice became soft and sweet. "Minako is stubborn, but that is what makes her more determined in battle than any one of us. She is territorial, but that is what makes her become so protective over the ones she loves. She is aggressive, but that is what makes our enemies fear her immense strength. People may think of these personality traits as negative, but if Minako would not have them, she would never have been the amazing soldier and friend that she is. As for me, people may say that they like me more than Minako because I am kind and intellectual, but _I _would never be able to do the things that Minako do. I would never have survived as a lonely warrior."

Her friends made big eyes when they heard Ami's description. Makoto's cheeks were red and her eyes were filled with tenderness. "Ami is so right..." she said softly. "I... I almost feel I want to apologize to you, Minako, for all the times I've been calling you stubborn and outrageous."

Minako waved her hands in the air looking embarrassed. "No no, you don't have to do that. I know very well I have been out of line so many times, and I deserved to be scolded every time that happened."

After that comment, they all sat still for some moments without saying a word. Usagi turned her attention to her big ice cream and eagerly began scoping in big pieces in her mouth.

"So, Ami," Mamoru said after a while, wanting to change the subject, "What are you doing now with the singing? Are you going to continue taking lessons?"

Ami smiled. "Actually, me and Minako are taking them together now! I asked Mr. Yamazaki, and he was fine with it. When my mother paid for the classes, she paid money for ten classes at once. I had six lessons by myself, so that means me and Minako will take the remaining four together."

"What a great idea!" Makoto said. "Will you continue with the singing, Ami? I mean, pursue it like Minako."

Ami shook her head. "I have no interest in becoming a professional singer. I will always work to sing as good as possible, and I can't wait until I can sing some tunes on our next karaoke session, but I will not pursue that path. I want to be a doctor and that's it."

Minako smiled and continued: "We actually had our first lesson earlier today and it was great." Then her face then turned into a frown and she crossed her arms in front of her chest. "But Ami is _really_ demanding as a singing partner. If you thought she was strict during our studying sessions you should see her now."

Ami put her nose up in the air. "You did not warm up before the class despite that I told you to. At least half an hour of vocal warm up right before the lesson, that's what I said."

Red color spread over Minako's face. "Warming up is so boring..." she mumbled.

Ami snorted. "Warming up is important for the vocal cords and the mind. Do you think Celine Dion got all her vocal skills by not warming up?"

Minako looked down in the table, avoiding Ami's gaze. "Yeah, yeah, yeah..." she muttered, but after a few seconds, the frown on her face faded and she broke out in a smile.

Makoto chuckled. "It's good to have you back. Both of you."

Minako smiled. "If I ever become an idol, I will specifically mention Ami in the credit notes of my debut album."

Ami gently stroked Minako's hair. "Not _if_, Minako, _when_. I will not let you miss out on your biggest dream. You will become a professional singer. I know that."

Minako looked away. "Thanks," she said shyly. Then she chuckled and lit up again. "I think I will actually dedicate the whole debut album to you, Ami." She suddenly grabbed Ami in a big hug and began rubbing her blue hair with her knuckles. "Because I like you a lot!"

"It's okay! It's okay! I get the point!" Ami whimpered, trying to break out of Minako's grip while her friends laughed.

Makoto leaned back on her chair and let out a deep sigh of comfort. "Aah, it's so nice that everything is back to normal." She then put her hands on the table again and got a curios look in her eyes. "There is just one thing I would like to ask you, Ami. When you stormed out of the shrine you looked extremely angry. The following day you did not answer any of our calls or messages. Then the evening one day later, you suddenly responded and accepted to meet with Minako. What I want to ask is: what made you change your mind so suddenly? Did you have a change of heart once you had cooled off or did something else happen?"

Ami blushed and looked down. "Something did happen, in fact. I had a talk with someone. A very long and special talk." She looked over to Usagi's boyfriend and nodded respectfully. Mamoru nodded back in confirmation. "I had a conversation with Mamoru," she said. "He made me realize that the fault was actually my own, and I am extremely thankful for that. We ran into each other out in the rain one evening and he invited me to his apartment where we—"

Usagi slammed her palms down on the table. "What?! You went home to _my_ boyfriend and you were there with him all alone?" Her big eyes filled with tears and she curled her hands to fists. "And not even telling me about it! Are you cheating on me, Mamoru? That's so mean!"

"Usagi, please..." Mamoru said with pleading eyes as the whole café was turning its attention to the group once again.

Ami's blushed heavily. "It was only a talk, Usagi. We did not do anything else than that."

"It's still mean!" Usagi pouted. "No one should be alone with my boyfriend but me!"

Ami looked nervously at Usagi, but then her blush suddenly disappeared. A sly smile spread over her face. She tilted her head to the side and spoke with a theatrical voice: "Oh Usagi, you know very well that an intellectual person like Mamoru needs someone that can match his brains. Someone like me. Since I'm a genius and better than everyone on everything I do, I could steal your boyfriend in one second if I wanted to."

Rei, Makoto and Minako broke out in laughter, but Usagi angrily stomped the floor with her foot. "Ami you meanie! You're supposed to be the kind one and now you have started being rude to me! You're even a worse friend than Rei!"

"Hey!" Rei said and immediately stopped smiling. Makoto and Minako laughed even louder and Ami broke out in a chuckle as well. Mamoru, being the only one who actually noticed that the whole café was staring at them, looked mostly embarrassed.

Usagi slumped down on her chair and put her chin on the table surface. "I hate you guys sometimes," she moaned.

"Oh, that sure is mutual," Rei said. She put her arms around the sulking blonde. "Come on now," she said as she rubbed her shoulders. "You know that Ami and Mamoru would never do such a thing against you. Now put that look off your face and smile again."

"I'm not sure I wanna..." Usagi pouted.

Rei put her head close to Usagi's face. "For me?"

Makoto chuckled, but Mamoru, Minako, and Ami looked a bit confused. Usagi kept looking down in the table, but after a few seconds she could not hide the smile spreading over her face. "Oh alright then," she said. She pulled herself up. "I'll forgive you this time." She grabbed her sundae with her hand and started eating.

And that's when they knew that everything was back to normal. No more fighting, no more anger. Just a group of best friends, together in a big warm ocean of love.

* * *

_**A/N:**__ I want to say a big, tremendous "thank you" to all of you who have read through the whole story! Very special thanks also go out to those of you who have given me feedback, either in the review section here on this website or through private communication. Your comments have been invaluable to me, and you have provided me with both a lot of praise and some good constructive criticism, and I am extremely happy for getting both._

_I am working on new Sailor Moon fanfiction at the moment, so stay tuned! There is no set release date yet, but I hope to get some material out as soon as possible._


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